Records of Arcadia (and Esperia)

Or better yet, who put them there? Who enrolled them? Not themselves I don’t think. Maybe a parent or guardian, but there’s no mention of any past figures like such because they likely would’ve been mentioned in the memory stars.

Was it the previous Merlin? My theory leans more heavily towards that being the possibility, our Merlin having shown prominent magic and selected by the last Merlin and enrolled by them to hone their magic. Because they already have the name Merlin in the photo of them and Cyran on the student council photo together again, then again, the photo could’ve later been updated but it’s one that was locked away in the Stellar Spire with no one to access it for twenty years, and I doubt Cranky would tamper with it.

If that’s the case of Merlin being chosen as the next Merlin so young, then it’s kind of sad. They had their life chosen for them quite young. Maybe they knew that right from the get go and decided that if they’re supposed to be this all powerful and revered mage later, they might as well be the kid they want to be during their school days. And they were.

Hi anon!

Similar to other RPGs, we know that Merlin has been deliberately designed to be a blank slate. I thought it was neat that Hogan mentioned we went under different disguises and different names, like an in lore explanation of why we could pick our name and outfit. Having amnesia was also another neat trick on why we didn't know what was happening and who is everyone.

For about four seasons after, there was no explanation on Merlin's past, just that we are a great mage and we must help, with or without our consent. There were hints here and there, but nothing really concrete. I mean, it only took Lilith this long to introduce the other Seats, eh? And of course, up until ToD to drop an entire bucket of lore on us. We know Merlin is not a being of the Tree, we know they are the First Seat, and we know they 'perished' in the Second Divine War and woke up twenty years later with amnesia. Apparently that is enough for the player to play as a self insert.

Lilith really started leaning into the lore after ToD; in ToM, we learn things about Merlin that may or may not fit our self inserted Merlin. Most of it is after Merlin started keeping diaries. They just couldn't start earlier, unfortunately. Or the devs didn't plan on fleshing out so much in one go. Nevertheless, we can safely say that whatever we know, is what Lilith wants us to know, or is important to the story.

How did they enter the Lyceum? Not important apparently. There's preparatory school as we've seen in the three little HP ripoffs. Was Merlin already there? We don't know. Someone, most likely a guardian, would have acted on Merlin's behalf to enrol them, either as a suggestion from another mage or like Cassadee's parents. That guardian is, unfortunately, probably dead or simply forgotten by Merlin. Since they don't appear in the story at all, the guardian is not important. Feel free to head cannon Merlin as an orphan.

Could it be the previous Merlin that enrolled them? Maybe, but wouldn't the then Headmistress Heidi know? Wouldn't it be mentioned that Merlin was groomed (sounds bad) young? If the previous Merlin hid their identity, how are they going to prove little Merlin is a talented kid worth the trouble?

Now I'm wondering how does the Serene Lyceum operate? Like a public school? Seems unlikely. Who's providing the funding for the food, uniforms and general needs? Leymar does accept rich students for funding, so it's definitely a private school. Zorya helps out students that are worse off, so we know there are students that can't afford something. Maybe Zorya kept Merlin funded in school, discreetly. Maybe the previous Merlin was rich and left a fund like HP. Maybe Merlin is so talented that Leymar fought to keep them enrolled, even if Merlin terrorized the entire faculty. Strange, that Merlin never had to suffer a parent-teacher meeting outcome. It's like no one cares.

Now, no matter how much classes Merlin skipped, something tells me they did enjoy being there. They loved entering forbidden zones. They hung out in the library after closing time. It's just that the classes were too easy for them. Skipping classes, yet still topping year after year? It's not a student that hates class for class. It's a bored student. It's making kindergarten level classes mandatory attendance. I'd skip too.

Did they know they were going to be a Merlin though? Seems unlikely. They would have told Cyran, besties that they are. Or the previous Merlin put a spell to make them keep it a secret. I prefer the simplest answer, which is they didn't know.

Why is Merlin only known as Merlin? Remember Aurelian and his contract? Someone must know Merlin's true name. Unless, there was a side effect of having your true name erased from history once you took up the mantle of Merlin. You're telling me not a single living being in Esperia knows Merlin's true name? No notes? No photos? Not even Cyran knows? Yeah, sounds like magic.

I wanted to pick up on a thing or two, so now watch chaos unfold. xD

I very much like the idea of Merlin's "name" being erased from public knowledge the moment they became Merlin. Unlike the other members, Merlin is the face of the Arcane Council, spreading their good intentions. If people are willing to kill for the identity of the other members, then god forbid there is any personal information about Merlin still accessible out there. Of course, this protection of their past self does not carry over to their current self as Merlin, so they are still forced to switch between appearances and names all the time, leaving as little "personal life" behind as possible. What an irony, that you carry the most well known-name in Esperia, but are cursed to remain a nobody.

The alternative to that is of course simply accepting that the game uses Merlin as a placeholder name for whenever people might have used Merlin's past name, given how it's meant to remain one of those things every Magister can adjust for their headcanons. Like you said with Merlin's parents/guardians, who aren't mentioned because they aren't important. Merlin's actual name in itself isn't important, just the figure is. And I mean, think of any famous person in real life who is known by their artists/chosen name only. How many other than true die hard fans would know their birth name AND use it? Even if some of the old faculty staff and Cyran himself used to call Merlin by a different name, it's likely now habit to use Merlin, just like everyone else does.

(Really quick: if what I just said was the case, then by all means Aurelian should have been able to easy know our "true" name. He didn't and instead believed a name we gave randomly when we met at the Academy. So perhaps that idea isn't true. On the other hand, if magic WAS involved and nobody knew Merlin's name anymore, then I am still confused as to why Aurelian thought a random name we gave was trustworthy, when we are inseparable from the idea of ever-switching identities... xD So.. that also doesn't work well in the case of Aurelian being just stupid stupid. The whole name thing is brittle as heck anyway.)

AND NOW - ... here is a headcanon. I can imagine that Dura herself has awaited our arrival on Esperia and "raised us". She met us in the past and knew someone like us would eventually drop onto earth. And before the Second Divine War, she was still around (Athalia's Starry Tale). So, she could very well have found us as a stranded being somewhere, or as a newborn somewhere, and has since then made sure we could grow up well. If our foster parents (maybe it was her personally?) couldn't afford the magic school, she would have made it happen. And while I wouldn't describe it as "grooming", she did indeed do everything she could to make sure we can grow into the person she has once met a long time ago. Once we were ready, we became Merlin. It's clear that we don't know the previous Merlin well nor do we know why we became the new Merlin, so Dura likely didn't tell us who she was or that she's looking after us all this time, and especially not why she wants us to be Merlin. I know Dura seems sketchy as hell, but I personally don't think she wants us to suffer. She doesn't want anyone to suffer from the Hypogeans, and I feel like that's something that unites her and Merlin. Merlin sacrificed themselves not because they felt forced to as Merlin, but because they genuinely loved Esperia, and that's why Dura wanted them to be Merlin. I am not saying Merlin isn't suffering, but I think I am saying that Merlin is the kind of person to be able to bear this suffering and succeed because of who they are. Or yet another way to go about this: Merlin would have done the Merlin job without being Merlin. But the Arcane Council is also an organisation with procedures in place to withstand time, and to benefit from their knowledge and unity, Merlin had to become Merlin at some point.

...

// ooc

Hello everyone! Look at that! 1,000 posts. What a lovely milestone for this blog!

It wouldn't be possible without your continued interest, so I want to spoil you all a little with some special sprite edits for fun!

Check out the chart below!

Let me know in the comments/reblogs which THREE (3) of these expression you'd like to see on Cyran, and I will make it happen!

The top three expressions (of all submitted) will be presented to you shortly after end of deadline. Uh... Deadline? It depends a little how busy I am, but I will wait AT LEAST 48 hours for your responses. That should be enough for most of you following Cyran. ;-)

WARNING: These emotions will be rather cartoony and likely ooc for Cyran, but I mean, that's the whole appeal. xD

Alright, let's get those votes in! <3

Well... it would be nearly impossible to get Valen back into his prince-shoes (after he escaped from his Pre-Release Backstory of being a run-away prince) - EXCEPT - when lured in with a fancy sword. ;-)

I definitely headcanon that Valen knows Little Fox. He may not know that he's King Rolan but he does know that the fox has taste in both food and ladies. xD So they certainly have a strange buddy-ship going on, whenever Valen has to be in the capital for business. xD

Hear me out. As much as I love Cyran, he really can’t be the second strongest mage to compare to Merlin. He really can’t.

I’m not saying he isn’t good with magic, but he is not second to Merlin. He was only the second strongest mage academically (which I mean in the Lyceum). But in a worldwide sense? No.

The question I want you to keep in mind is: how can a Chief Court Mage who lives in luxury, opulence, comfort and all the highs of life be considered second to Merlin?

I notice in regards to Cyran copying Merlin’s magic, it ties into his character a lot. In CoA, (current season), Merlin accuses Cyran of only using second-hand tricks. So let me tell you why I agree.

Firstly being, 1) when Cyran's talents fell short of Merlin's, admiration soon gave way to envy. As graduation loomed, Cyran joined the Adamant Syndicate and turned to dark magic in a desperate bid to surpass Merlin.

This is the first instance I find that Cyran is using another means to become stronger, rather than focusing on HIS OWN MAGIC—he’s literally saying, “If I can’t do it with my own magic, I might as well just get it from somewhere else.”

2) In his affinity tales state that he harbors a secret, and this secret is that he still studies Merlin’s magic after all these years. But even though he is still studying Merlin’s magic, look the barrier he made. Merlin called it “sloppy”.

Cyran did not improve his magic. He chose to grow by copying Merlin’s magic and getting involved with Adamant Syndicate, Hypogeans, and using dark magic as means to “heighten” his power.

At the end of the day, his twisted view of being a better mage is absolute garbage. Because all he is doing is using is power from another source and not his own signature magic. (Though, he may use his own spells—all we’ve seen him do is dark magic and copy Merlin’s spells.)

This is why I think his view on magic is so poignant. He views magic is for power, so if he wants to go to the Adamant Syndicate for his own benefit—hey! It aligns with his philosophy. He can use dark magic to heighten his magic; but at the end of the day, strip him bare without it. What is he? What is special about his magic?

NOTHING. He’s just the Chief Court Mage.

Why? Beneath his polished exterior, however, lies a haughty and egotistical nature, driven by an insatiable desire for superiority over others. He is so driven by wanting to be better than everyone else, he never managed to focus on his OWN IDENTITY.

Even though that’s the sad part, that’s his own fault. He let envy enter his head, when he could have built meaningful relationships (and just think of Merlin and Cyran as a team! That would be an unstoppable pair.) He could have focused on building his own brand with his magic as Merlin did. But he used other means to further his skills.

A stupid example is like Kai from Kung Fu Panda. (I’m so sorry. I had to use this one.) He is using everyone else’s magic to make him strong, when his own magic was meaningless against Po.

But, I will say—even though his raw magic power isn’t his strength, his cunning, manipulative abilities are golden. He has connections in the palace, with the Adamant Syndicate. And Merlin can’t match him on that. I’ll give him that one.

3) Cyran is not a practicing battle mage. This man lives in the palace. His hands were said to be soft. And whether you think it was meant by Merlin literally or figuratively, that is the point. He hasn’t worked and fought as hard Merlin had.

How can a man used to opulence pose a threat to a weathered mage (who’s been in some tough ordeals) possibly pose a threat in a hand-to-hand duel? Merlin gained his strength and well-deserved legendary title by going through the school of hard knocks.

While Merlin is fighting in the Second Divine War and sacrificing himself to the point of oblivion, Cyran is in the palace. He only was elevated to Chief Court Mage because so many other mages died in the war (and he had good experience with magic.)

Also, what made Merlin the strongest mage in all Esperia was the fact that Merlin focused on building his own identity. Merlin refined twenty-something spells and shortened the Arcane Council verification process, for example. Merlin was always questioning, always searching for ways to improve in the most purest, rawest sense. No second-hand means, or anything other than just building from the ground up on his own.

If you look at the Memory Stars in ToM, you can see how Merlin studied various aspects of magic. Merlin branded himself—and expanded on his magic to the most extreme heights (e.g. sealing Hypogeans, attempting to revert hypofiends back to humans) and all the other seasons explain the rest.

Lastly, the difference between them is that Merlin made a lasting impact in his genuine abilities, being true to himself. Whereas Cyran, only wanting to be superior, will be willing to find a shortcut to do it.

Ahahaha, or perhaps not, I just thought I saw you on Reddit. If or if not, I am glad you wrote this. Because I wanna agree with you!

But I also want to add something else to the mix...

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First of all, I agree with you in many aspects. Once the Lyceum days are over, we also don't really have any measurement any more as Merlin and Cyran go vastly different ways. You could say that Cyran was always the second most promising student, but that's just a memory and hardly currently applicable.

We also don't really know the real competition out there. Merlin is at the top, as far as we know (until another cool strong mage shows up, be it on our side or in the enemy team), but after that? Cyran's one of many and his position as Chief Court Mage doesn't necessary mean anything in raw power. And even if it did, just like raw power doesn't mean anything when playing AFKJ, tactics and investment in the right units is also important. And as you have pointed out, Cyran's investment is maybe not in the right places, and his raw power has been bought. xD

What a fun comparison. LOL

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Anyway, what I still want to throw in as a counter-argument. Or at least as an argument for "the final battle should have been a bit more difficult for Merlin".

What WERE Cyran's duties? That is definitely up to one's imagination, because we don't really have any info on Court Mage duties. While I largely think that he is more manager than active practitioner now as Chief, HE STILL is a Court Mage and they do not exist just to look pretty.

One aspect they should do is security measures. That means shields of all sorts. And they should constantly work on improving and innovating those shields, because naturally people (as in normal other mages) will try to break them. Not much running around needed here, just plain study work, speed and proficiency in applying them. Cyran brought that quality from school and I doubt he was gonna be content with being "just an average" Court Mage. His imitated shield on the Central Plaza was just for show and "divine appearance". Even as Chief, I think he can't afford to NOT be involved in constant practice and given how he accompanied Orion, I think he is expected to be able to adequately protect the Royal Family directly. (Which makes it so goddamn stupid that he struggled to overtake Gwendolyn's shield who likely REALLY is less trained as a mage.)

On that note, I also think that Cyran DID fight in the war. He was still a regular Court Mage at that time, perhaps already one his superiors really liked due to his diligence. The war took surely some time, and if the King himself went out to fight, then he would take Court Mages with him for protection, as well as employ Court Mages all around the Empire to hold lines. I feel like, as much as Cyran would despise the battle field and the dirty tents etc, Cyran would not "want" to look like a coward and hide, especially when his brother is also on the battlefield. And we sing praises to our soldiers, how would Cyran "want" to miss that glory? At least not unless he had a valid and official excuse. While it's possible he stayed behind in the palace on official orders, I just prefer to think he was pulled into action. And that is again, mostly protection (also against weather conditions), providing lights, hiding presences, perhaps buffing allies etc.

That presence will have given him a VERY good idea on how to structure battles and manage your powers. He was not the only Court Mage to survive, but incidentally a very much liked one, and again I prefer to think he was selected not just for his family name but also his qualities shown.

While this may not be able to outshine Merlin's constant battle experience, I don't think Court Mages (and Army) rest in times of peace. I imagine there are enough "battle drills" to give every Court Mage a reminder of what they would need to be able to do.

I also want to mention the general skill level of these Court Mages. This isn't fully clear, I think, but it seems established that Hypofiends and Hypogeans cannot be beaten with regular weapons or their wounds healed with regular magic. And yet we have two Divine Wars where normal people held their lines against the Hypogean forces. It may have been the Celestials and Dura herself to seal the Hypogeans (and thus perhaps reduce and drive back the Hypofiends as well) but we can't ignore that the soldiers of the Empire, supported by the Court Mages, managed to hold out against all these Hypofiends. The magic of the Court Mages, and other available mages drafted into the war, as well as that of their brothers at the church wielding the magic of the Divine Light, had enough power to stand put. That doesn't mean these guys should be strong enough to be a challenge for Merlin, but I feel like it paints an image of their power scaling and given how I think Cyran was part of the war, it puts him into somewhere closer to the top than at the bottom.

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What I also want to discuss is HOW mages fight and apply magic in the first place. That depends greatly on the way magic works in this universe. I may be ignoring canon here, but I just ... dislike something along the lines of "just feel it and if you want it strong enough and you have the magical talent for it - it will happen". The Gala scene, for example, was terrible in that regard. T_T

I much prefer magic to have rules and languages, and you can't just feel like speaking French and then speak it perfectly without any prior knowledge.

So the thing is, that mages will have their favorite spells and can apply them quickly. And given how every mage will have a different repertoire, it's just a matter of having the right defense spell on hand, or being quick and confident enough to cast the spell needed.

I grant that Merlin has a larger repertoire of suitable spells for battle (then again, they mostly use shields and orbs of light to throw at the enemy), but I also don't think Cyran's are that insignificant (given his battle skills in-game).

I don't think he should have had a fighting chance. He did not. :/ But the big deal is the lack of weakness on Merlin's side and THAT bothers me. A lot. Cyran is not a weak opponent. But without Merlin struggling at least once by having to loose balance or have a shield broken, or get a tiny scrape... then I don't know what is at risk in the first place. It is boring to know that Merlin is SO overpowered that literally nothing is gonna be a struggle to them.

Merlin made so many mistakes in previous season or has shown a weak side... in this season, though? I just wanted Merlin to have more struggles than just showing us a sad face after Cyran's gone. And perhaps there will be some more that will balance the fight in hindsight.

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As for Cyran’s strength, I do think he’s strong in magic but only to a degree (as I’ve stated prior). Whether he fought in the war directly or indirectly in the palace, we can know for sure that he does have some merit to his magic.

But, I have to say that Cyran isn’t a practicing battle mage. I’m not disagreeing with you, but Merlin will find most fights easier due to his vast experience fighting hard opponents.

Merlin fights Hypogeans for a living. Even if Cyran fought in the war, that was only one time and I doubt it was in the front-lines. Because Cyran’s brother was said to have died in the war, so I can’t say I’d see Cyran wanting to go fight in it.

Yet I will somewhat disagree over the fact that Cyran isn’t strong against Merlin. He is if you look at the way he fights. He prefers to fight by instigating someone from simply whispering in their ears as he directs them from the shadows. For example, look at Chains of Eternity. Merlin DID NOT have an easy fight against Cryonaia the first time around. And Cyran was the one that planned all of this.

Cyran planned the whole thing out a year in advance and covered his tracks. (I have no idea how he was able to get to Whiteridge without the King’s knowledge, but he was able to do it—manipulating the Archduke to “bring his daughter back;” which in turn, ended up corrupting the churches, acolytes, and caused a time-loop and people freezing over into an eternal bliss.)

If Merlin hadn't been Dura's chosen one, he almost certainly would have died the first time he fell into the abyss with Valka. The only reason he returned was because Dura had already chosen him, allowing him to meet the God of Death and continue fulfilling the role Dura intended for him. It's an exceptional circumstance rather than something Merlin could simply do on his own.

Yes, it's an unfair advantage—but it's also the foundation of Merlin's role in the story. Without Dura's intervention, Merlin's journey would have ended much sooner.

But even though Merlin succeeded, at the end of Chains of Eternity, the outcome is not a very happy one. The Archduke is dead, Yolena is dead, the Valesa castle is still warped by Cryonaia’s power, Rodrigo has to find a new heir—and at the end there is more of an unhappy ending than a happy one. All because of one guy. ONE GUY! One guy who just said a few simple words to the Archduke.

Everything turned out to be a tragedy. Even though Merlin won and saved Whiteridge, there were more losses that impacted it as a whole.

Again, in Tower of Memory he caused the whole Arcane Council issue by manipulating one person and tampering with the court mage selection. And the fight was not easy if you can recall Merlin’s magic being binded by Cyran’s gem. If it weren’t for Silven, Merlin would be dead or seriously injured—and I don’t think it was just plot that Silven saved the day, because Merlin was the one that restored his sword.

In my humble opinion even though it wasn’t directly stated, I think it’s safe to say that the entire fight was a Cyran vs Merlin. Cyran’s Gem in Gervan’s hand versus the Merlin-restored sword in Silven’s. So it was essentially Merlin’s magic that stopped it.

But they didn’t come out unscathed. There’s a brief line that mentions them all being battered and bruised.

AND MAN, is Cyran a hard person to catch! He covered his tracks so well in the end that only Gervan, Aurelian, and Durella were convicted.

Aurelian was dumb. He gave everything away. HAHA. Serves him right. I’d like to imagine Cyran was fuming when he heard about it…

As for Crown of Ashes and why it was so easy for Merlin—is just basically these two points. One being that Cyran imitated Merlin’s magic. Of course Merlin would break it so easily, it was a flawed imitation of Merlin’s personal style.

And second, the final battle was exactly the kind of situation Merlin excels in. Sealing away Hypofiends and Hypogeans is one of his greatest strengths, and Cyran was no exception. That doesn't mean the fight was effortless, though. There was a moment when Cyran nearly dragged Merlin into the Abyss, and Merlin genuinely struggled before finally breaking free. So while Merlin ultimately won because the battle played to his expertise, it wasn't as though he walked through it without resistance.

All in all, I do want a story where Merlin “loses.” I'd enjoy that. But I don't really agree with the idea that he needs to lose just because he's overpowered. Merlin has already paid a heavy price in other ways, and I think those losses matter just as much as losing a fight.

I don't think I ever intended to make Cyran be the second most powerful mage in Esperia, not now, after reading many good thoughts about it. There are also Celestial and Hypogeans, who also kinda count. I just wanted him to be clever enough to punch up a bit more, despite being weaker... *sigh*

But ... as you pointed out, he DID play his games successfully, for many years. Everybody in Esperia is fooled and would have continued to be fooled if Merlin hadn't stuck their nose into Cyran's business. So in terms of a man playing a game, Cyran is most certainly 2nd to no one but Merlin, for Merlin is the ONLy man he lost to. ;-)

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That Merlin struggles against the abyssal claws is a nice catch. Of course I saw that, I just didn't quite... accept it. I am not exactly a shipper but yeah, it hurts to see Cyran fall short of expectations, and Merlin's "being-stupidly-good-at-everything" this season didn't help me. T_T

But I think I can better grasp his own strengths better. I always knew, but perhaps I needed someone to express this as well as you have. So thanks for that!

"So in terms of a man playing a game, Cyran is most certainly 2nd to no one but Merlin, for Merlin is the ONLy man he lost to. ;-)"

He IS good at choosing victims though. Our investigation of the cult in Whiteridge revealed he Syndicate's tactics. Choose vulnerable victims. Desperate or disabled. Preferably kids. And that's exactly what Cyran's MO has been.

When he was forced to confront Merlin, he kind of folded immediately. If we limit the "second strongest in the world" to just Merlin, Cyran and a couple of disabled kids, then yes, Cyran is the second best.

"I also think that Cyran DID fight in the war. "

I'm sorry, but if Cyran fought in the war, no way it was on the good guys' side. He was already a member of the Syndicate, who are notorious hypogean enjoyers. I wouldn't be surprised if they reveal the Syndicate's role in that war later. The full-fledged demon invasion Cyran unleashed on Sahvannah that killed countless people, where do you think he learned it?

And he wasn't even a court mage at this point (he only became one after a lot of court mages conveniently died in the war).

And both people who (as he thought) overshadowed him, his brother and Merlin, conveniently died in that war too (it's not enough to accuse Cyran of anything, but it doesn't look good.)

But if he did, it would help your point if we saw some kind of court mage training facility. (Like we saw with the guards in Savannah or Ravion's people in Sal'thorin). Instead, we only saw a very bureaucratic-looking office, with the spy reports Cyran has been gathering on us.

Which makes sense considering the explanation of a court mage's role we've got in the last season. It's not exactly magical spec-ops.

Although the image of Cyran practising some kind of magical kung-fu with his staff in his robes vs a dummy dressed like Merlin is kind of fun.

Not like training would automatically make him the second greatest mage anyway, though. Second best in Merlin's class is cool, but let's not forget about the existence of other classes, other mages who might have trained more after school, other magical schools, self-taught mages and all the other factions' mages too.

I mean, if I was the second fastest in a class where the first guy later became a world champion, it doesn't mean that decades later I'm the second fastest person in the world.

Btw I kind of see Merlin as a One-Punch Man kind of character. It's not about whether we win, it's about all the other stuff. Nobody's angry at Saitama for being OP. That's the point.

And Merlin did "lose" once already (when they died). They also lost their memories and friends.

I had known Cyran joined the Adamant Syndicate before graduating, but I never considered that it would cause a conflict of interests if he would fight for the royal family, while the Adamant Syndicate supported the other side.

Though, I have to say that Cyran was a court mage during the war. His affinity tales state: “During the WAKE of the Second Divine War…. He was propelled to chief court mage….”

And to put a timeline on when the court mage selection took place, we can use what we’ve learned from Tower of Memory. Another one of tales say: “There are conflicting accounts regarding the court mage selection. Some assert that Cyran outperformed Merlin, securing the position, while others suggest that Merlin opted to forgo the opportunity to serve the palace to serve a greater purpose.”

So, I would assume that this occurred during their last years in the Serene Lyceum or something along those lines (or after) because if this is true, Merlin became Merlin before the war. So Cyran must have gotten this opportunity before the war as well.

If you check out the side quest with Cranky, Leymar invites Merlin to teach AFTER receiving the title of Merlin. So the Merlin Era was after Student Era, but before the Teacher Era.

But I agree with you on everything else. Those points are well said.

I just wanted to add that, while there is an interesting conflict of interests going on, I think on the surface Cyran fought for the Empire. We have no current evidence that something strange was going on with him during that time, so I assume that for the most part everything was as expected.

And, we don't know WHEN Cyran became a Top Member of the Adamant Syndicate (and is he Envy as presumed or not?). I don't he was high in the hierarchy and he may not even have known the secret plans of the Syndicate and their cooperation with the Hypogeans. Or he was, but wasn't fully involved other than small-scale cover ups or hijacks or so...

Positions like this are usually for senior members or perhaps special VIP people from the start, which Cyran was likely not. He started by asking for their services and I always assume he has been a supportive member since (mostly helping with connections given his position in the palace from then onwards, plus likely financial support). Until he became a regular face and eventually Chief Court Mage. That's likely put him on a special pedestal within the AS as well.

I'd also be interested what the requirements are to be placed around Pride as one of the seven, assuming that TOP MEMBER refers to one of these positions. The Syndicate is an organisation that needs the same structures as others, but I don't think Cyran is doing full-time managing there. I think these guys are more the top-core-advisors (or "messengers" if you will) of Pride, just giving the direction of things, with fairly little constant insight into the daily business of the Syndicate.

Hear me out. As much as I love Cyran, he really can’t be the second strongest mage to compare to Merlin. He really can’t.

I’m not saying he isn’t good with magic, but he is not second to Merlin. He was only the second strongest mage academically (which I mean in the Lyceum). But in a worldwide sense? No.

The question I want you to keep in mind is: how can a Chief Court Mage who lives in luxury, opulence, comfort and all the highs of life be considered second to Merlin?

I notice in regards to Cyran copying Merlin’s magic, it ties into his character a lot. In CoA, (current season), Merlin accuses Cyran of only using second-hand tricks. So let me tell you why I agree.

Firstly being, 1) when Cyran's talents fell short of Merlin's, admiration soon gave way to envy. As graduation loomed, Cyran joined the Adamant Syndicate and turned to dark magic in a desperate bid to surpass Merlin.

This is the first instance I find that Cyran is using another means to become stronger, rather than focusing on HIS OWN MAGIC—he’s literally saying, “If I can’t do it with my own magic, I might as well just get it from somewhere else.”

2) In his affinity tales state that he harbors a secret, and this secret is that he still studies Merlin’s magic after all these years. But even though he is still studying Merlin’s magic, look the barrier he made. Merlin called it “sloppy”.

Cyran did not improve his magic. He chose to grow by copying Merlin’s magic and getting involved with Adamant Syndicate, Hypogeans, and using dark magic as means to “heighten” his power.

At the end of the day, his twisted view of being a better mage is absolute garbage. Because all he is doing is using is power from another source and not his own signature magic. (Though, he may use his own spells—all we’ve seen him do is dark magic and copy Merlin’s spells.)

This is why I think his view on magic is so poignant. He views magic is for power, so if he wants to go to the Adamant Syndicate for his own benefit—hey! It aligns with his philosophy. He can use dark magic to heighten his magic; but at the end of the day, strip him bare without it. What is he? What is special about his magic?

NOTHING. He’s just the Chief Court Mage.

Why? Beneath his polished exterior, however, lies a haughty and egotistical nature, driven by an insatiable desire for superiority over others. He is so driven by wanting to be better than everyone else, he never managed to focus on his OWN IDENTITY.

Even though that’s the sad part, that’s his own fault. He let envy enter his head, when he could have built meaningful relationships (and just think of Merlin and Cyran as a team! That would be an unstoppable pair.) He could have focused on building his own brand with his magic as Merlin did. But he used other means to further his skills.

A stupid example is like Kai from Kung Fu Panda. (I’m so sorry. I had to use this one.) He is using everyone else’s magic to make him strong, when his own magic was meaningless against Po.

But, I will say—even though his raw magic power isn’t his strength, his cunning, manipulative abilities are golden. He has connections in the palace, with the Adamant Syndicate. And Merlin can’t match him on that. I’ll give him that one.

3) Cyran is not a practicing battle mage. This man lives in the palace. His hands were said to be soft. And whether you think it was meant by Merlin literally or figuratively, that is the point. He hasn’t worked and fought as hard Merlin had.

How can a man used to opulence pose a threat to a weathered mage (who’s been in some tough ordeals) possibly pose a threat in a hand-to-hand duel? Merlin gained his strength and well-deserved legendary title by going through the school of hard knocks.

While Merlin is fighting in the Second Divine War and sacrificing himself to the point of oblivion, Cyran is in the palace. He only was elevated to Chief Court Mage because so many other mages died in the war (and he had good experience with magic.)

Also, what made Merlin the strongest mage in all Esperia was the fact that Merlin focused on building his own identity. Merlin refined twenty-something spells and shortened the Arcane Council verification process, for example. Merlin was always questioning, always searching for ways to improve in the most purest, rawest sense. No second-hand means, or anything other than just building from the ground up on his own.

If you look at the Memory Stars in ToM, you can see how Merlin studied various aspects of magic. Merlin branded himself—and expanded on his magic to the most extreme heights (e.g. sealing Hypogeans, attempting to revert hypofiends back to humans) and all the other seasons explain the rest.

Lastly, the difference between them is that Merlin made a lasting impact in his genuine abilities, being true to himself. Whereas Cyran, only wanting to be superior, will be willing to find a shortcut to do it.

Ahahaha, or perhaps not, I just thought I saw you on Reddit. If or if not, I am glad you wrote this. Because I wanna agree with you!

But I also want to add something else to the mix...

.

First of all, I agree with you in many aspects. Once the Lyceum days are over, we also don't really have any measurement any more as Merlin and Cyran go vastly different ways. You could say that Cyran was always the second most promising student, but that's just a memory and hardly currently applicable.

We also don't really know the real competition out there. Merlin is at the top, as far as we know (until another cool strong mage shows up, be it on our side or in the enemy team), but after that? Cyran's one of many and his position as Chief Court Mage doesn't necessary mean anything in raw power. And even if it did, just like raw power doesn't mean anything when playing AFKJ, tactics and investment in the right units is also important. And as you have pointed out, Cyran's investment is maybe not in the right places, and his raw power has been bought. xD

What a fun comparison. LOL

.

Anyway, what I still want to throw in as a counter-argument. Or at least as an argument for "the final battle should have been a bit more difficult for Merlin".

What WERE Cyran's duties? That is definitely up to one's imagination, because we don't really have any info on Court Mage duties. While I largely think that he is more manager than active practitioner now as Chief, HE STILL is a Court Mage and they do not exist just to look pretty.

One aspect they should do is security measures. That means shields of all sorts. And they should constantly work on improving and innovating those shields, because naturally people (as in normal other mages) will try to break them. Not much running around needed here, just plain study work, speed and proficiency in applying them. Cyran brought that quality from school and I doubt he was gonna be content with being "just an average" Court Mage. His imitated shield on the Central Plaza was just for show and "divine appearance". Even as Chief, I think he can't afford to NOT be involved in constant practice and given how he accompanied Orion, I think he is expected to be able to adequately protect the Royal Family directly. (Which makes it so goddamn stupid that he struggled to overtake Gwendolyn's shield who likely REALLY is less trained as a mage.)

On that note, I also think that Cyran DID fight in the war. He was still a regular Court Mage at that time, perhaps already one his superiors really liked due to his diligence. The war took surely some time, and if the King himself went out to fight, then he would take Court Mages with him for protection, as well as employ Court Mages all around the Empire to hold lines. I feel like, as much as Cyran would despise the battle field and the dirty tents etc, Cyran would not "want" to look like a coward and hide, especially when his brother is also on the battlefield. And we sing praises to our soldiers, how would Cyran "want" to miss that glory? At least not unless he had a valid and official excuse. While it's possible he stayed behind in the palace on official orders, I just prefer to think he was pulled into action. And that is again, mostly protection (also against weather conditions), providing lights, hiding presences, perhaps buffing allies etc.

That presence will have given him a VERY good idea on how to structure battles and manage your powers. He was not the only Court Mage to survive, but incidentally a very much liked one, and again I prefer to think he was selected not just for his family name but also his qualities shown.

While this may not be able to outshine Merlin's constant battle experience, I don't think Court Mages (and Army) rest in times of peace. I imagine there are enough "battle drills" to give every Court Mage a reminder of what they would need to be able to do.

I also want to mention the general skill level of these Court Mages. This isn't fully clear, I think, but it seems established that Hypofiends and Hypogeans cannot be beaten with regular weapons or their wounds healed with regular magic. And yet we have two Divine Wars where normal people held their lines against the Hypogean forces. It may have been the Celestials and Dura herself to seal the Hypogeans (and thus perhaps reduce and drive back the Hypofiends as well) but we can't ignore that the soldiers of the Empire, supported by the Court Mages, managed to hold out against all these Hypofiends. The magic of the Court Mages, and other available mages drafted into the war, as well as that of their brothers at the church wielding the magic of the Divine Light, had enough power to stand put. That doesn't mean these guys should be strong enough to be a challenge for Merlin, but I feel like it paints an image of their power scaling and given how I think Cyran was part of the war, it puts him into somewhere closer to the top than at the bottom.

.

What I also want to discuss is HOW mages fight and apply magic in the first place. That depends greatly on the way magic works in this universe. I may be ignoring canon here, but I just ... dislike something along the lines of "just feel it and if you want it strong enough and you have the magical talent for it - it will happen". The Gala scene, for example, was terrible in that regard. T_T

I much prefer magic to have rules and languages, and you can't just feel like speaking French and then speak it perfectly without any prior knowledge.

So the thing is, that mages will have their favorite spells and can apply them quickly. And given how every mage will have a different repertoire, it's just a matter of having the right defense spell on hand, or being quick and confident enough to cast the spell needed.

I grant that Merlin has a larger repertoire of suitable spells for battle (then again, they mostly use shields and orbs of light to throw at the enemy), but I also don't think Cyran's are that insignificant (given his battle skills in-game).

I don't think he should have had a fighting chance. He did not. :/ But the big deal is the lack of weakness on Merlin's side and THAT bothers me. A lot. Cyran is not a weak opponent. But without Merlin struggling at least once by having to loose balance or have a shield broken, or get a tiny scrape... then I don't know what is at risk in the first place. It is boring to know that Merlin is SO overpowered that literally nothing is gonna be a struggle to them.

Merlin made so many mistakes in previous season or has shown a weak side... in this season, though? I just wanted Merlin to have more struggles than just showing us a sad face after Cyran's gone. And perhaps there will be some more that will balance the fight in hindsight.

.

As for Cyran’s strength, I do think he’s strong in magic but only to a degree (as I’ve stated prior). Whether he fought in the war directly or indirectly in the palace, we can know for sure that he does have some merit to his magic.

But, I have to say that Cyran isn’t a practicing battle mage. I’m not disagreeing with you, but Merlin will find most fights easier due to his vast experience fighting hard opponents.

Merlin fights Hypogeans for a living. Even if Cyran fought in the war, that was only one time and I doubt it was in the front-lines. Because Cyran’s brother was said to have died in the war, so I can’t say I’d see Cyran wanting to go fight in it.

Yet I will somewhat disagree over the fact that Cyran isn’t strong against Merlin. He is if you look at the way he fights. He prefers to fight by instigating someone from simply whispering in their ears as he directs them from the shadows. For example, look at Chains of Eternity. Merlin DID NOT have an easy fight against Cryonaia the first time around. And Cyran was the one that planned all of this.

Cyran planned the whole thing out a year in advance and covered his tracks. (I have no idea how he was able to get to Whiteridge without the King’s knowledge, but he was able to do it—manipulating the Archduke to “bring his daughter back;” which in turn, ended up corrupting the churches, acolytes, and caused a time-loop and people freezing over into an eternal bliss.)

If Merlin hadn't been Dura's chosen one, he almost certainly would have died the first time he fell into the abyss with Valka. The only reason he returned was because Dura had already chosen him, allowing him to meet the God of Death and continue fulfilling the role Dura intended for him. It's an exceptional circumstance rather than something Merlin could simply do on his own.

Yes, it's an unfair advantage—but it's also the foundation of Merlin's role in the story. Without Dura's intervention, Merlin's journey would have ended much sooner.

But even though Merlin succeeded, at the end of Chains of Eternity, the outcome is not a very happy one. The Archduke is dead, Yolena is dead, the Valesa castle is still warped by Cryonaia’s power, Rodrigo has to find a new heir—and at the end there is more of an unhappy ending than a happy one. All because of one guy. ONE GUY! One guy who just said a few simple words to the Archduke.

Everything turned out to be a tragedy. Even though Merlin won and saved Whiteridge, there were more losses that impacted it as a whole.

Again, in Tower of Memory he caused the whole Arcane Council issue by manipulating one person and tampering with the court mage selection. And the fight was not easy if you can recall Merlin’s magic being binded by Cyran’s gem. If it weren’t for Silven, Merlin would be dead or seriously injured—and I don’t think it was just plot that Silven saved the day, because Merlin was the one that restored his sword.

In my humble opinion even though it wasn’t directly stated, I think it’s safe to say that the entire fight was a Cyran vs Merlin. Cyran’s Gem in Gervan’s hand versus the Merlin-restored sword in Silven’s. So it was essentially Merlin’s magic that stopped it.

But they didn’t come out unscathed. There’s a brief line that mentions them all being battered and bruised.

AND MAN, is Cyran a hard person to catch! He covered his tracks so well in the end that only Gervan, Aurelian, and Durella were convicted.

Aurelian was dumb. He gave everything away. HAHA. Serves him right. I’d like to imagine Cyran was fuming when he heard about it…

As for Crown of Ashes and why it was so easy for Merlin—is just basically these two points. One being that Cyran imitated Merlin’s magic. Of course Merlin would break it so easily, it was a flawed imitation of Merlin’s personal style.

And second, the final battle was exactly the kind of situation Merlin excels in. Sealing away Hypofiends and Hypogeans is one of his greatest strengths, and Cyran was no exception. That doesn't mean the fight was effortless, though. There was a moment when Cyran nearly dragged Merlin into the Abyss, and Merlin genuinely struggled before finally breaking free. So while Merlin ultimately won because the battle played to his expertise, it wasn't as though he walked through it without resistance.

All in all, I do want a story where Merlin “loses.” I'd enjoy that. But I don't really agree with the idea that he needs to lose just because he's overpowered. Merlin has already paid a heavy price in other ways, and I think those losses matter just as much as losing a fight.

I don't think I ever intended to make Cyran be the second most powerful mage in Esperia, not now, after reading many good thoughts about it. There are also Celestial and Hypogeans, who also kinda count. I just wanted him to be clever enough to punch up a bit more, despite being weaker... *sigh*

But ... as you pointed out, he DID play his games successfully, for many years. Everybody in Esperia is fooled and would have continued to be fooled if Merlin hadn't stuck their nose into Cyran's business. So in terms of a man playing a game, Cyran is most certainly 2nd to no one but Merlin, for Merlin is the ONLy man he lost to. ;-)

.

That Merlin struggles against the abyssal claws is a nice catch. Of course I saw that, I just didn't quite... accept it. I am not exactly a shipper but yeah, it hurts to see Cyran fall short of expectations, and Merlin's "being-stupidly-good-at-everything" this season didn't help me. T_T

But I think I can better grasp his own strengths better. I always knew, but perhaps I needed someone to express this as well as you have. So thanks for that!

Hear me out. As much as I love Cyran, he really can’t be the second strongest mage to compare to Merlin. He really can’t.

I’m not saying he isn’t good with magic, but he is not second to Merlin. He was only the second strongest mage academically (which I mean in the Lyceum). But in a worldwide sense? No.

The question I want you to keep in mind is: how can a Chief Court Mage who lives in luxury, opulence, comfort and all the highs of life be considered second to Merlin?

I notice in regards to Cyran copying Merlin’s magic, it ties into his character a lot. In CoA, (current season), Merlin accuses Cyran of only using second-hand tricks. So let me tell you why I agree.

Firstly being, 1) when Cyran's talents fell short of Merlin's, admiration soon gave way to envy. As graduation loomed, Cyran joined the Adamant Syndicate and turned to dark magic in a desperate bid to surpass Merlin.

This is the first instance I find that Cyran is using another means to become stronger, rather than focusing on HIS OWN MAGIC—he’s literally saying, “If I can’t do it with my own magic, I might as well just get it from somewhere else.”

2) In his affinity tales state that he harbors a secret, and this secret is that he still studies Merlin’s magic after all these years. But even though he is still studying Merlin’s magic, look the barrier he made. Merlin called it “sloppy”.

Cyran did not improve his magic. He chose to grow by copying Merlin’s magic and getting involved with Adamant Syndicate, Hypogeans, and using dark magic as means to “heighten” his power.

At the end of the day, his twisted view of being a better mage is absolute garbage. Because all he is doing is using is power from another source and not his own signature magic. (Though, he may use his own spells—all we’ve seen him do is dark magic and copy Merlin’s spells.)

This is why I think his view on magic is so poignant. He views magic is for power, so if he wants to go to the Adamant Syndicate for his own benefit—hey! It aligns with his philosophy. He can use dark magic to heighten his magic; but at the end of the day, strip him bare without it. What is he? What is special about his magic?

NOTHING. He’s just the Chief Court Mage.

Why? Beneath his polished exterior, however, lies a haughty and egotistical nature, driven by an insatiable desire for superiority over others. He is so driven by wanting to be better than everyone else, he never managed to focus on his OWN IDENTITY.

Even though that’s the sad part, that’s his own fault. He let envy enter his head, when he could have built meaningful relationships (and just think of Merlin and Cyran as a team! That would be an unstoppable pair.) He could have focused on building his own brand with his magic as Merlin did. But he used other means to further his skills.

A stupid example is like Kai from Kung Fu Panda. (I’m so sorry. I had to use this one.) He is using everyone else’s magic to make him strong, when his own magic was meaningless against Po.

But, I will say—even though his raw magic power isn’t his strength, his cunning, manipulative abilities are golden. He has connections in the palace, with the Adamant Syndicate. And Merlin can’t match him on that. I’ll give him that one.

3) Cyran is not a practicing battle mage. This man lives in the palace. His hands were said to be soft. And whether you think it was meant by Merlin literally or figuratively, that is the point. He hasn’t worked and fought as hard Merlin had.

How can a man used to opulence pose a threat to a weathered mage (who’s been in some tough ordeals) possibly pose a threat in a hand-to-hand duel? Merlin gained his strength and well-deserved legendary title by going through the school of hard knocks.

While Merlin is fighting in the Second Divine War and sacrificing himself to the point of oblivion, Cyran is in the palace. He only was elevated to Chief Court Mage because so many other mages died in the war (and he had good experience with magic.)

Also, what made Merlin the strongest mage in all Esperia was the fact that Merlin focused on building his own identity. Merlin refined twenty-something spells and shortened the Arcane Council verification process, for example. Merlin was always questioning, always searching for ways to improve in the most purest, rawest sense. No second-hand means, or anything other than just building from the ground up on his own.

If you look at the Memory Stars in ToM, you can see how Merlin studied various aspects of magic. Merlin branded himself—and expanded on his magic to the most extreme heights (e.g. sealing Hypogeans, attempting to revert hypofiends back to humans) and all the other seasons explain the rest.

Lastly, the difference between them is that Merlin made a lasting impact in his genuine abilities, being true to himself. Whereas Cyran, only wanting to be superior, will be willing to find a shortcut to do it.

Ahahaha, or perhaps not, I just thought I saw you on Reddit. If or if not, I am glad you wrote this. Because I wanna agree with you!

But I also want to add something else to the mix...

.

First of all, I agree with you in many aspects. Once the Lyceum days are over, we also don't really have any measurement any more as Merlin and Cyran go vastly different ways. You could say that Cyran was always the second most promising student, but that's just a memory and hardly currently applicable.

We also don't really know the real competition out there. Merlin is at the top, as far as we know (until another cool strong mage shows up, be it on our side or in the enemy team), but after that? Cyran's one of many and his position as Chief Court Mage doesn't necessary mean anything in raw power. And even if it did, just like raw power doesn't mean anything when playing AFKJ, tactics and investment in the right units is also important. And as you have pointed out, Cyran's investment is maybe not in the right places, and his raw power has been bought. xD

What a fun comparison. LOL

.

Anyway, what I still want to throw in as a counter-argument. Or at least as an argument for "the final battle should have been a bit more difficult for Merlin".

What WERE Cyran's duties? That is definitely up to one's imagination, because we don't really have any info on Court Mage duties. While I largely think that he is more manager than active practitioner now as Chief, HE STILL is a Court Mage and they do not exist just to look pretty.

One aspect they should do is security measures. That means shields of all sorts. And they should constantly work on improving and innovating those shields, because naturally people (as in normal other mages) will try to break them. Not much running around needed here, just plain study work, speed and proficiency in applying them. Cyran brought that quality from school and I doubt he was gonna be content with being "just an average" Court Mage. His imitated shield on the Central Plaza was just for show and "divine appearance". Even as Chief, I think he can't afford to NOT be involved in constant practice and given how he accompanied Orion, I think he is expected to be able to adequately protect the Royal Family directly. (Which makes it so goddamn stupid that he struggled to overtake Gwendolyn's shield who likely REALLY is less trained as a mage.)

On that note, I also think that Cyran DID fight in the war. He was still a regular Court Mage at that time, perhaps already one his superiors really liked due to his diligence. The war took surely some time, and if the King himself went out to fight, then he would take Court Mages with him for protection, as well as employ Court Mages all around the Empire to hold lines. I feel like, as much as Cyran would despise the battle field and the dirty tents etc, Cyran would not "want" to look like a coward and hide, especially when his brother is also on the battlefield. And we sing praises to our soldiers, how would Cyran "want" to miss that glory? At least not unless he had a valid and official excuse. While it's possible he stayed behind in the palace on official orders, I just prefer to think he was pulled into action. And that is again, mostly protection (also against weather conditions), providing lights, hiding presences, perhaps buffing allies etc.

That presence will have given him a VERY good idea on how to structure battles and manage your powers. He was not the only Court Mage to survive, but incidentally a very much liked one, and again I prefer to think he was selected not just for his family name but also his qualities shown.

While this may not be able to outshine Merlin's constant battle experience, I don't think Court Mages (and Army) rest in times of peace. I imagine there are enough "battle drills" to give every Court Mage a reminder of what they would need to be able to do.

I also want to mention the general skill level of these Court Mages. This isn't fully clear, I think, but it seems established that Hypofiends and Hypogeans cannot be beaten with regular weapons or their wounds healed with regular magic. And yet we have two Divine Wars where normal people held their lines against the Hypogean forces. It may have been the Celestials and Dura herself to seal the Hypogeans (and thus perhaps reduce and drive back the Hypofiends as well) but we can't ignore that the soldiers of the Empire, supported by the Court Mages, managed to hold out against all these Hypofiends. The magic of the Court Mages, and other available mages drafted into the war, as well as that of their brothers at the church wielding the magic of the Divine Light, had enough power to stand put. That doesn't mean these guys should be strong enough to be a challenge for Merlin, but I feel like it paints an image of their power scaling and given how I think Cyran was part of the war, it puts him into somewhere closer to the top than at the bottom.

.

What I also want to discuss is HOW mages fight and apply magic in the first place. That depends greatly on the way magic works in this universe. I may be ignoring canon here, but I just ... dislike something along the lines of "just feel it and if you want it strong enough and you have the magical talent for it - it will happen". The Gala scene, for example, was terrible in that regard. T_T

I much prefer magic to have rules and languages, and you can't just feel like speaking French and then speak it perfectly without any prior knowledge.

So the thing is, that mages will have their favorite spells and can apply them quickly. And given how every mage will have a different repertoire, it's just a matter of having the right defense spell on hand, or being quick and confident enough to cast the spell needed.

I grant that Merlin has a larger repertoire of suitable spells for battle (then again, they mostly use shields and orbs of light to throw at the enemy), but I also don't think Cyran's are that insignificant (given his battle skills in-game).

I don't think he should have had a fighting chance. He did not. :/ But the big deal is the lack of weakness on Merlin's side and THAT bothers me. A lot. Cyran is not a weak opponent. But without Merlin struggling at least once by having to loose balance or have a shield broken, or get a tiny scrape... then I don't know what is at risk in the first place. It is boring to know that Merlin is SO overpowered that literally nothing is gonna be a struggle to them.

Merlin made so many mistakes in previous season or has shown a weak side... in this season, though? I just wanted Merlin to have more struggles than just showing us a sad face after Cyran's gone. And perhaps there will be some more that will balance the fight in hindsight.

.

I want to start by saying that AFK Journey has been a huge part of my life for almost two years now, and that it’s through this game that I’ve found an amazing community and regained a lot of the passion and creativity that I’d once believed had fizzled out. This game inspired me to meet new friends, and was also the catalyst that got me back into creating things purely for the joy of it, and for that I will always be grateful. However, it is precisely because of how important AFK Journey is to me that I take issue with some of the decisions made by Lilith Games in recent seasons.

I’ll start off by addressing the changes that are allegedly going to be made to the story structure of the game, especially regarding Reputation Quests and Epilogue Quests. While there has been no official confirmation that these sections will be removed completely going forward, it does not bode well that we’ve received no news about them from the Patch Preview. If it is indeed Lilith’s intention to remove these story sections, then I strongly urge you to reconsider. Reputation Quests and Epilogue Quests have been an integral part of the player experience, especially for those of us who are heavily invested in the storyline of this game. Reputation quests help us explore the impact of our actions in the main story and the widespread effects it has on the world at large, reminding players that even after a major victory, Merlin’s work is never fully done. It also gives players a sense of closure, knowing that we’ve helped set things right and gives us important insights into the attitudes and worldbuilding of each new location. Epilogue quests have also been the perfect way to tie up loose ends, give us more opportunities to connect with characters, and help set up for future seasons without feeling like things ended abruptly. Additionally, both these questlines give players a reason to slow down and enjoy the season instead of wanting to rush into the next one as soon as the main storyline is over. It helps each season feel more impactful and lived in, and gives players something to look forward to in the months leading up to the end of a season.

And while this is one of my biggest complaints about recent changes, it is not my only one. In recent seasons, I’ve noticed AFK Journey gradually shifting towards being more PvP centred, and while I do enjoy the PvP modes, it was never the main appeal of the game for me. In the beginning, it felt like there was a good balance between the PvP, PvE, and story modes, but now it feels like things have become extremely catered towards PvP players only. Recent changes to the guild structure have also made it even more difficult to participate in the modes that I actually did enjoy, such as Clashfronts, which now has a participant cap. There’s also the issue of the Supreme League, which feels exclusive to high spenders since they’re the ones most likely to have competitively viable teams. There’s already a massive gap between the experiences of free-to-play and low spending players, and that of the whales and krakens in-game, and this mode seems to only widen that gap. Overall, many players have started to lose interest in PvP modes because of how futile participation feels at times. I also have a huge issue with the fact that betting has become a core mechanic of the Supreme League for those who don’t qualify to participate, especially in a game that already has a lot of gambling-adjacent mechanics. It feels like it’s in bad taste at best and predatory at worst.

Along with this, AFK Stages and Apex Stages have become increasingly difficult, making participating in these modes feel tedious. Saying this as someone who’s on the higher end of the rankings for this mode, pushing stages doesn’t feel as fun or worthwhile when you spend a whole day stuck at a single stage. It starts to feel more like a chore, especially since stepping in for a Manual Battle every few levels defeats the whole purpose of AFK stages. I don’t expect everyone to breeze through these levels, but it would be nice to have the experience be a little more balanced.

I also think that the newer gacha systems are too unpredictable. In addition to the standard Noble Tavern, we also have the Rosy Cosmetics gacha and the Arcane Atelier gacha in the Homestead, and while I’m not strictly opposed to the latter two mechanics, I do think they rely far too heavily on RNG and that their current set-up scares people away from sinking resources into them because of how unpredictable the outcomes are. Spending a few dragon crystals to reach pity is way less appealing when you have no way of knowing if you’ll get a cosmetic or decoration that you actually want. For this, I do think the simple fix would be to add 3 to 5 items you actually want to a wishlist, just in the Epic Recruitment banner, and have one of those be guaranteed when you reach pity or otherwise have a lucky draw. Once your wishlist has been fulfilled, further pulls are entirely random as they are now.

Another issue I’ve noticed is with the CeleHypos. In recent seasons, the CeleHypos have been dropping more frequently, with many of them entering the meta and power-creeping older units. While I understand that a part of this is the natural progression of a game in this genre, I also believe that it’s happening too rapidly for most players to keep up with and that investing in any CeleHypo units at all feels like a possible waste of resources since they’re likely to be outdone in the near future. Some of these are also extremely lacking where lore is concerned, and have no connection to the season they become playable in. Out of the 21 CeleHypo characters currently recruitable, 13 have played a role in the main story, 1 was explored in Starry Tales, and 1 was included in both. The remaining six have so far lacked any narrative significance or exploration beyond their affinity tales. These two things combined make it feel like some characters are being added purely for the sake of squeezing resources out of players, rather than being added because of their significance to the story or to be meaningful companions to The Magister.

One of my biggest gripes, though, is with how often the game seems to change its creative direction. Sometimes it feels like Lilith doesn’t actually know what it wants AFK Journey to be. We spent the first year of this game treating it as a fantasy RPG with gacha elements, with a few minor changes along the way, before suddenly rebranding completely with the Homestead update. While again, I didn’t mind the addition of this mode and definitely enjoyed many of the aspects associated with it, it felt like the devs were trying to make it more significant to the main plot than it should have been. And as a story-focused player, it was also extremely disheartening to see Lilith do a full lore overhaul with the introduction of Aurora and the new game intro. All the theories and expectations we had built up from the prior year suddenly felt like they had no basis and that the identity of the game itself had changed drastically. I believe all of this was done in an effort to integrate Avalon into the main plotline and make it feel more cohesive with the rest of the game. This only makes it more frustrating that the Homestead has been pretty much neglected recently in favour of PvP.

To put it bluntly, there’s nothing for us to do in the Homestead after reaching level 20. Sure, we can decorate new areas if that’s something we really enjoy and snap photos with friends, but beyond that the main mechanics of fulfilling orders and crafting recipes feels stale. I have a surplus of every single raw and refined material, and at least 500 of each requested recipe already made. There’s nothing to work towards anymore except maybe the aesthetics of the Homestead which also gets a bit boring when it’s the only thing left to do. I feel like it would benefit from getting seasonal upgrades along with the other game modes. Maybe some season specific recipes and crops, and a few achievements in the Season Quests to keep players motivated.

And since I don’t want to spend this entire post complaining without offering some possible solutions, here are a few suggestions I have for how to go about fixing these issues.

Actionable Changes/Suggestions:

Reintegrate Reputation Quests and Epilogue Quests back into the seasonal storylines.

Balance AFK/Apex stages better starting next season.

Break the Supreme League down into groups based on overall power level and let people participate for rewards within their assigned group. Remove the betting aspect entirely.

Give us a wishlist for the Rosy Cosmetics gacha and the Arcane Atelier gacha.

Do not rebrand again. Pick a direction you want this story to go in and stick with it.

Add one copy of the new celehypos to the All Heroes login event for new players, and distribute a copy to those who’ve already been playing for a long time. When new celehypos drop, let their log-in event include one swap ticket that lets us exchange their skills/levels with one of the celehypos we already have built to help combat power creep, and work on integrating them into future storylines or Starry Tales.

Slow down the release of new game modes to avoid the game's scope becoming too overwhelming for players.

cyran and orion both desire power; cyran wants to be the greatest mage (or, really, just best merlin), and orion wants to be king. but no matter how much they fight for that power, they can never get what they want because their intentions are not in the right place.

one cannot simply manipulate their way into either position — ruler or merlin.

to become ruler of the lightbearer empire, one has to draw excalibur, a sword that can only be drawn by those who truly think for the people, who would truly sacrifice for their realm, and lead the empire toward the light. these are all traits orion lacks — all of his actions have been out of self preservation, of people not discovering his lineage, even going as far as binding his own relative to keep him quiet. whether or not he was rolan's true descendant, i don't think he could've pulled out the sword.

peggy, on the other hand, attempted to draw excalibur to save her people. she was not thinking about becoming queen in that moment of peril; she was acting on the instinct to protect those around her regardless of the consequences, and if excalibur had not been replaced, i believe she could have drawn it then. she embodies what a true leader of the lightbearer empire should be, embodies everything that orion is not.

(it makes me wonder if the whole "descendent of rolan" thing is a myth, something twisted throughout history. i wonder if prince orion had not gone down a dark path, if he cared more about his people than his own gains, that he could have drawn excalibur, bastard child or not.)

how to become merlin is still vague, though we know they are chosen by their predecessor and are the most powerful mage in all of esperia. however, i doubt they are chosen on magical prowess alone. the first seat is something close to dura, and seems to be a protector, a last line of defense; just like ruler of the lightbearer empire, merlins have to be willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good, for the betterment of esperia. they are no longer a person beyond their title, beyond their duty — they are merlin first and foremost, and nothing more.

something that became very clear during cyran's spiral is that he cannot understand merlin's kindness, their selflessness — you chose to sacrifice yourself for this pathetic world... power enough to steer the world, and you treated it like something inconvenient. cyran attributes power to personal gain; merlin has not used their power to bring esperia to its knees, has chosen to stay in the background instead of seize control. cyran cannot understand why, so much so that he distorts merlin's motivations in his mind.

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Reading over your posts again, this is the gist (ignoring Cyran, focused on Orion):

"Orion's behavior shows that he believes he should be king and is ready to play dirty to achieve it. Which also shows that he hasn't understood (or lives by) what makes a good ruler, which in turn excludes him from being able to pull Excalibur."

And once more, you state that: "Orion lacks the qualities necessary to be a king."

.

What interests me here is the actual criteria you have put in place to come to this conclusion? Now, I gotta admit, I actually agree with you. Humans have and believe in virtues for a reason after all, and when directly pressed, nobody would agree that lying and deceit are "good" things to do - because they will backfire one way or another. That's just one of many examples possible.

And yet, can we apply such broadly universal standards to determine a "good versus bad" leader? What are your expectations in a leader (king or chancellor or president)? And is that measure by which you determine that actually accurate and trustworthy? 

Keep in mind that any King rightfully chosen by Excalibur can turn out to be a terrible ruler in many ways, simply because

(a) Excalibur decides based on Dura's magic and Dura is "human" with all the human biases we can have, so who's to say her choices are flawless? (For this reason I dislike "truth-magic" because HOW can magic determine what is true and what is not?)

and (b) that wonderful human can be so righteously blinded and ideological that they do more harm than good despite being fully convinced that they are serving the people.

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I concur that the method by which Orion tried to secure him the crown was very questionable and based on that, one might be inclined to deduce that he'd continue to govern the same way. But, I want to point out that Orion didn't (as far as we know) kill the King, nor did he allow anyone to be harmed. Discomfort was certainly desired but if anything had truly threatened any of the people involved, I think Orion would have done everything to help. And this was merely to protect the face of the royal family (not just his own) and continue to meet expectations from literally everyone (except the opposition, but even they have to accept that Orion's the next in line latest when the Queen is dead). Nothing hints at Orion continuing on that path of deceit, and even if he did, and the result was a healthy and happy population across the Empire, than wouldn't we be able to agree that he's done a good job?

.

Alright, I agree again, that having the right virtues is .... good in theory. But who does really meet all those criteria? Every single human being is stuck in reality, in a constant struggle between virtue and vice, and for the most of us, the end result is a fairly okay life with still plenty of struggles caused by vice (done ourselves and being victim of someone elses vice).

Do we need to brand us all "bad leaders of our own life now"? I think I am not sure how rigorous we need to be with our judgements. We see, we judge and nearly immediately forgive and move on for the sake of reality and life.

We can agree on the bad actions done, and we can also perhaps agree on some bad beliefs to have (although ESPECIALLY beliefs are SO prone to being NOT what they seem to be), but I personally wouldn't want to insist anyone to be "bad" or "good" wholly, just ... doing bad or good things at any given moment, based on our virtues and vices and whatever else criteria I have at that given moment.

So yeah, Orion didn't do very good in this instance, but I wouldn't say he's not cut out to be a leader. Just generally here are some qualities he has that I think can be beneficial to being a leader:

He relied on competent people (Cyran) to help with a difficult situation - he acknowledges his limits

He is a skilled swordsman and while one battle was for show, his second battle was not (Peggy) and his swordsmanship is superb - he IS skilled and CAN and is WILLING TO apply it in real situations of danger

Regardless of why, Orion shows himself to the people, builds rapport however superficial, but also in depth, I believe, with handing out aids of sort (I think it was just an NPC speech bubble or conversation) - he can read the desires of the population and is charismatic and socially adept enough to draw their attention and support

He has come to make a realization of sorts at the end, showing us that he did in fact NOT want the bloodshed Cyran caused - giving me the impression that in his heart, he DOES want good (as in, happy and healthy population/fans)

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While we also agree, that there are no excuses for bad actions (at least if we hold everyone up to very very VERY high standards in terms of self-control), I'd like to paint a small picture of how I read his situation:

He's been raised as the new King. People like him have a different education and in all reality he should have the theoretical knowledge to go ahead and serve his role. I also VERY much belief that he was not raised to be a King out of the benevolence of the people around him, but because it's simply his role and everyone is aware of it. As Gwendolyn said, even she cannot simply make decisions. Governance is a complex thing and while Orion would be the new face of the King, he likely has just as little power as any other King before him. And I think to some extend he can feel that. He's grown up with councilors, he will govern with councilors. That is his identity - being the mannequin of the Lightbearer Empire - the King. And that is sadly it. So when this "destiny" was threatened, I dare allow him to feel extremely lost and desperate. Not just because of what the population would say if they learned the truth, but also the disappointment of the governing class, as he's a real threat to the establishment. And those in power (which is not the King alone) are always desperate to keep their power in place (no matter how good you might argue they are). The pressure is massive on Orion. This may not justify the means, but it is in Orion's favor, that he is NOT alone in this spectacle. It is stupid attempt to save face and continue tradition, but given how quick the population was to break anyone's social neck based on "drama" and "loss of face", it was well worth to risk a charade (that should have gone well if it hadn't been for frikkin' Merlin (and Rolan NOW for some reason) ! XD)

.

After all that... one thing remains: Kazim.

He could really break Orion's neck, in terms of good and bad actions. Well, frankly Kazim is already proof for a VERY BAD action by Orion. But... we still don't know the details. While I think from the royal perspective, Orion could more or less "easily" be redeemed, I fear pulling that off with Kazim is more difficult. BUT knowing AFKJ, I have the feeling they might perhaps find a very strange and unexpected solution for that. xD

i do agree that orion would've called things off if people actually got hurt (physically at least). once cyran summons the dead soldiers, orion breaks down and starts to wonder what he's done, and then saves peggy when she's attacked. he didn't want anyone to be hurt, but i don't think that makes the manipulation of the nobles okay. also, nothing hints at orion stopping his path of deceit either. he went as far as binding a relative to keep his secret; there's no telling what else he would've done to keep that secret if he became king. sure, like you said, orion kept the nobility happy and earned their favor, but it's hard for us to know if that was genuine, or if it was all a part of his ploy to take the throne. in my opinion, ignorance is not bliss, and it's likely that is the state Orion would've left his people in.

i agree that no one is wholly good or bad either — we only do stupid things that hurt people, whether intentionally or not, and most of the time, people forgive and move on. orion could easily fall in the category of good person who messed up (still can't make any definitive statements because of kazim; he's a frequent thorn in my side lol), but because of his inability to put his people first, he could not draw the excalibur and why i don't think he'd make a good leader by the lightbearer empire's standards.

your argument does make me curious if there have been rulers who could draw the sword, and later were unable to because, as you've stated, power comes with inherent corruption.

i also want to add that i love your perspective of orion's upbringing. being groomed to be a ruler from a young age is not easy, and it makes since for him to do anything to achieve that position, whether it be for identity or power reasons. i've always wondered how his mother influenced him (she had to be the one to teach him to hide who he is, and i wonder of she was the first one to cut off his wings), and i like this perspective of everyone and everything working against him, at least in his eyes, and you're so right about the nobility and the rest of the people of savannah — had they found out about his parentage, orion would've been ridiculed and destroyed in the press, and i understand his thought process. it doesn't make his actions okay by any means, but it doesn't make them more understandable.

Your question about "who might be unable to draw the sword a second time" suggests that they did wield the sword regularly or had to redraw periodically? To be honest, I assume the "drawing the sword thing" has long turned into a mere symbolic act, performed just once.

That also raises the interesting question of what happened if the heir COULDN"T draw the sword? In 2000 years, they had always kids that grew up worthy in Excalibur's eyes? Really? And according to Hendrik never once had the Queen to reign (yeah sure), so if Peggy was to claim the Throne, she'd be the first Queen Regent by descent? Or will her husband be the King Regent (and will he have to draw the sword)? Either way, Hendrik was a little silly to assume both King and now his Queen actually reign without their Council. It's an apparatus and you can claim it runs according to the Regents will, but the will of the Regent is also dictated by his/her surrounding so... give and take.

I guess, that also a reason why I'd not think Orion's by default a bad ruler. He doesn't have much choice as ruler anyway.

But I also see the whole thinking about the citizens priority. It's certainly desirable and morally admirable to live life in such a way that not only you, but also your community benefits. Merlin embodies this ideal.

Orion does indeed not.

It's such a bummer they're getting rid of clan reputation quests… I was hoping we'd be helping the royal family or royal guards rebuild the capital and the other clan rep quests will be helping the Mythril Consortium or the Solitaires. Less lore doesn't bode well for someone who plays for the art and story.

I suppose I'm one of those players who complained about clan reputation quests, but it's not because I wanted them gone, just better written and longer. Which was certainly the case for ToD, and even though the quests that season were very wanting, they still provided some valuable tidbits of lore. I couldn't have written my fanfics without them, especially the parts involving Halia.

Also, extremely well done clan rep quests like the EoD ones neatly tie loose ends of the main story. Such as how Zanie was devastated when dwarves weren't allowed to wield their god's weapon because of their past sins, but in the clan rep quests they find a way to mass produce even more powerful weapons. I also liked the ToM clan rep quests where we get to see what happened to the students who lost magic, and how it affects the school and the entire student body. The cosmetic rewards are nice additions too.

I've seen my rankings slipping since the weapons upgrade for whales but still decided to stick around for the lore. Well it looks like they're ditching everyone — the F2Ps or low spenders like myself who stick around for the art, lore, cosmetics, and minor rewards — except for the whales. And it seems Farlight hasn't been doing so well in the business side, which is why they're trying to milk as much as they can out of AFKJ. But can a live service game sustain on whales only?

Well Farlight certainly seems to think so, likely because of AFK Arena... but the thing is, AFK Journey is way more focused on storytelling and lore than AFK Arena. One of the reasons I lost the motivation to keep playing AFK Arena was while I really enjoyed the short stories you get when acquiring heroes, there's pretty much no ongoing main story. It's very hard to see characters change and develop, and the world at large change along with them. I guess that's why I liked Starter Story though many players seem to dismiss them for being boring; it was so exciting to see familiar faces like Hogan and Mirael and Lorsan and Eironn in their elements and getting involved in their stories as the MC.

THEY’RE SILENTLY REMOVING REPUTATION QUEST WITHOUT A NOTICE OR ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

THEY’RE TAKING AWAY THE EVENT THAT GIVES US PLAYERS TONS OF REWARDS AND LORE BEHIND OUR BACKS AND THOUGHT WE WOULDN’T NOTICE THEM, THEY THINK WE’RE STUPIDDD

Ok ok enough typing in caps

…

I lied

DO YOU WANT THEM TO BRING BACK REP QUEST?!

ARE YOU ANGRY ABOUT THEIR DECISION?!

cyran and orion both desire power; cyran wants to be the greatest mage (or, really, just best merlin), and orion wants to be king. but no matter how much they fight for that power, they can never get what they want because their intentions are not in the right place.

one cannot simply manipulate their way into either position — ruler or merlin.

to become ruler of the lightbearer empire, one has to draw excalibur, a sword that can only be drawn by those who truly think for the people, who would truly sacrifice for their realm, and lead the empire toward the light. these are all traits orion lacks — all of his actions have been out of self preservation, of people not discovering his lineage, even going as far as binding his own relative to keep him quiet. whether or not he was rolan's true descendant, i don't think he could've pulled out the sword.

peggy, on the other hand, attempted to draw excalibur to save her people. she was not thinking about becoming queen in that moment of peril; she was acting on the instinct to protect those around her regardless of the consequences, and if excalibur had not been replaced, i believe she could have drawn it then. she embodies what a true leader of the lightbearer empire should be, embodies everything that orion is not.

(it makes me wonder if the whole "descendent of rolan" thing is a myth, something twisted throughout history. i wonder if prince orion had not gone down a dark path, if he cared more about his people than his own gains, that he could have drawn excalibur, bastard child or not.)

how to become merlin is still vague, though we know they are chosen by their predecessor and are the most powerful mage in all of esperia. however, i doubt they are chosen on magical prowess alone. the first seat is something close to dura, and seems to be a protector, a last line of defense; just like ruler of the lightbearer empire, merlins have to be willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good, for the betterment of esperia. they are no longer a person beyond their title, beyond their duty — they are merlin first and foremost, and nothing more.

something that became very clear during cyran's spiral is that he cannot understand merlin's kindness, their selflessness — you chose to sacrifice yourself for this pathetic world... power enough to steer the world, and you treated it like something inconvenient. cyran attributes power to personal gain; merlin has not used their power to bring esperia to its knees, has chosen to stay in the background instead of seize control. cyran cannot understand why, so much so that he distorts merlin's motivations in his mind.

.

Reading over your posts again, this is the gist (ignoring Cyran, focused on Orion):

"Orion's behavior shows that he believes he should be king and is ready to play dirty to achieve it. Which also shows that he hasn't understood (or lives by) what makes a good ruler, which in turn excludes him from being able to pull Excalibur."

And once more, you state that: "Orion lacks the qualities necessary to be a king."

.

What interests me here is the actual criteria you have put in place to come to this conclusion? Now, I gotta admit, I actually agree with you. Humans have and believe in virtues for a reason after all, and when directly pressed, nobody would agree that lying and deceit are "good" things to do - because they will backfire one way or another. That's just one of many examples possible.

And yet, can we apply such broadly universal standards to determine a "good versus bad" leader? What are your expectations in a leader (king or chancellor or president)? And is that measure by which you determine that actually accurate and trustworthy? 

Keep in mind that any King rightfully chosen by Excalibur can turn out to be a terrible ruler in many ways, simply because

(a) Excalibur decides based on Dura's magic and Dura is "human" with all the human biases we can have, so who's to say her choices are flawless? (For this reason I dislike "truth-magic" because HOW can magic determine what is true and what is not?)

and (b) that wonderful human can be so righteously blinded and ideological that they do more harm than good despite being fully convinced that they are serving the people.

.

I concur that the method by which Orion tried to secure him the crown was very questionable and based on that, one might be inclined to deduce that he'd continue to govern the same way. But, I want to point out that Orion didn't (as far as we know) kill the King, nor did he allow anyone to be harmed. Discomfort was certainly desired but if anything had truly threatened any of the people involved, I think Orion would have done everything to help. And this was merely to protect the face of the royal family (not just his own) and continue to meet expectations from literally everyone (except the opposition, but even they have to accept that Orion's the next in line latest when the Queen is dead). Nothing hints at Orion continuing on that path of deceit, and even if he did, and the result was a healthy and happy population across the Empire, than wouldn't we be able to agree that he's done a good job?

.

Alright, I agree again, that having the right virtues is .... good in theory. But who does really meet all those criteria? Every single human being is stuck in reality, in a constant struggle between virtue and vice, and for the most of us, the end result is a fairly okay life with still plenty of struggles caused by vice (done ourselves and being victim of someone elses vice).

Do we need to brand us all "bad leaders of our own life now"? I think I am not sure how rigorous we need to be with our judgements. We see, we judge and nearly immediately forgive and move on for the sake of reality and life.

We can agree on the bad actions done, and we can also perhaps agree on some bad beliefs to have (although ESPECIALLY beliefs are SO prone to being NOT what they seem to be), but I personally wouldn't want to insist anyone to be "bad" or "good" wholly, just ... doing bad or good things at any given moment, based on our virtues and vices and whatever else criteria I have at that given moment.

So yeah, Orion didn't do very good in this instance, but I wouldn't say he's not cut out to be a leader. Just generally here are some qualities he has that I think can be beneficial to being a leader:

He relied on competent people (Cyran) to help with a difficult situation - he acknowledges his limits

He is a skilled swordsman and while one battle was for show, his second battle was not (Peggy) and his swordsmanship is superb - he IS skilled and CAN and is WILLING TO apply it in real situations of danger

Regardless of why, Orion shows himself to the people, builds rapport however superficial, but also in depth, I believe, with handing out aids of sort (I think it was just an NPC speech bubble or conversation) - he can read the desires of the population and is charismatic and socially adept enough to draw their attention and support

He has come to make a realization of sorts at the end, showing us that he did in fact NOT want the bloodshed Cyran caused - giving me the impression that in his heart, he DOES want good (as in, happy and healthy population/fans)

.

While we also agree, that there are no excuses for bad actions (at least if we hold everyone up to very very VERY high standards in terms of self-control), I'd like to paint a small picture of how I read his situation:

He's been raised as the new King. People like him have a different education and in all reality he should have the theoretical knowledge to go ahead and serve his role. I also VERY much belief that he was not raised to be a King out of the benevolence of the people around him, but because it's simply his role and everyone is aware of it. As Gwendolyn said, even she cannot simply make decisions. Governance is a complex thing and while Orion would be the new face of the King, he likely has just as little power as any other King before him. And I think to some extend he can feel that. He's grown up with councilors, he will govern with councilors. That is his identity - being the mannequin of the Lightbearer Empire - the King. And that is sadly it. So when this "destiny" was threatened, I dare allow him to feel extremely lost and desperate. Not just because of what the population would say if they learned the truth, but also the disappointment of the governing class, as he's a real threat to the establishment. And those in power (which is not the King alone) are always desperate to keep their power in place (no matter how good you might argue they are). The pressure is massive on Orion. This may not justify the means, but it is in Orion's favor, that he is NOT alone in this spectacle. It is stupid attempt to save face and continue tradition, but given how quick the population was to break anyone's social neck based on "drama" and "loss of face", it was well worth to risk a charade (that should have gone well if it hadn't been for frikkin' Merlin (and Rolan NOW for some reason) ! XD)

.

After all that... one thing remains: Kazim.

He could really break Orion's neck, in terms of good and bad actions. Well, frankly Kazim is already proof for a VERY BAD action by Orion. But... we still don't know the details. While I think from the royal perspective, Orion could more or less "easily" be redeemed, I fear pulling that off with Kazim is more difficult. BUT knowing AFKJ, I have the feeling they might perhaps find a very strange and unexpected solution for that. xD