I always assumed he had Light, because he clearly has free will (even if he doesn’t use it much), compared to the golems Erin mentioned. But that’s definitely what this appears to be leading up to, yes.
May I ask why? I don’t personally subscribe to the light = stars theory, at least not until there’s more evidence for it, but the light = souls theory holds a lot of weight, at least I think it does. In panel 2 on page 1.8.3, the mind and soul are shown as being purple and blue, the colours of VD & LD. It’s never stated which is which, but from Erin’s statement on the same panel, “the mind is known for flexibility”, we can infer that the mind is probably the purple one, because of its spirals, as opposed to the blue half, which is jagged and angular. This lines up nicely with the creation myth in the prologue and what VD says in chapter seven: ‘The moment my tool was perfected, they awoke the mortals’ wills. Mortals given sentence could not be controlled, and in a single instant, my hope of escape shattered with your fledgling species.”. If I can expand off this, I think the soul shaper monks might not affect the void dragon, because of his association with the mind, rather than the soul. Worse, they could even be worshipers of him, because of their reliance on the mind. I also think its interesting that on panel three, the mind and soul together are shown as being golden, like Yanna the Golden, the obscure sun god in-universe, and how the sun is depected in VD’s monologue about killing the primordials in chapter seven.
Nonsense, void is a very dark, almost black purple. Void is also associated with adding things to something not thinking. The first people already had souls or they would not have been able to use magic or not fall apart. The goo crawler was utilizing light magic for its trauma stare, connecting light to thought, along with the wills line supporting it further. This theory was always paper-thin and its my 2nd least favorite Aurora comment thing
I feel like there are two likely scenarios at this point:
Either Kendal stops the paladin or the Void dragon stops the paladin. It seems really unlikely that Erin dies as that would close off to many story possibilities and be too much of a downer for this relatively upbeat story.
If the paladin’s attack took Erin out of the fight completely then there is nothing restraining the Void dragon. IF the Paladin’s halo stun attack does not work on Voidy then using it is a tactical error.
Of course maybe some third thing will come out of nowhere and stop the Paladin, but that seems like it would not the way of this story.
Okay. The comments below seem to be getting heated over the nature of Paladin magic. In the interest of civil discourse, I’ve created a post detailing all the evidence for Paladin magic being equivalent to soul magic, with all its implications. Let’s keep the debating/arguing out of this page, shall we?
Unfortunately, since I don’t have Reddit, I’m gonna post my refutations here in the replies.
Before I begin, I must commend you for the post. It is very well-written.
As you said, we have this handy explanation by Erin in 1.8.3 of how the Soulshaper monks operate, and we have that blue-and-white glow similar to that of the Paladins. However, this is where I believe you’ve made the wrong assumption that the blue-white tone indicates the soul rather than the mind. Here’s some of the reasons why:
* As you said, Red has gone to great lengths to ensure different effects are visually distinct and color-coded. Water magic, Starfire and Light magic are all various shades of blue and all 3 are fairly easily discernible from one another. However, the gods (who are vast, self-sustaining lattices of soul energy) each have a distinct color of the soul energy that composes them. If Light was the element of Soul, then soul energy ought to be uniformly Paladin-hued per Red’s own visual coding. But it isn’t.
* For that matter, what does soul energy actually do? We know that it is omnipresent, and that it settles into inanimate objects over time. As it does, it blocks the influence of elemental energies and confers a resistance to manipulation via magic to the material, see 1.22.5. The tighter and more structured the soul is, e.g. in mortals, the greater this resistance to magic. You can still use to magic to use the physical elements around to hurt them, e.g. burn or electrocute someone, or impale them with a stone spike, but you can’t manipulate the elements within a body shielded by a soul lattice, e.g. bloodbending. See: 1.11.16.
* Soul energy can only really be interacted with in very few ways: 1)using the mind to slowly bend it to one’s will like what the soulshaper monks do, 2) use soulcrystal to ward off elemental influence (e.g. magical hazmat suits and/or clean rooms), or 3) by using truenames (which are essentially an entity’s magical DNA). That last one is most commonly used in necromancy to compel the ambient soul energy into a facsimile of the named entity, think Speak with Dead from D&D. This is also how the Collector bound Vash in the firrst place. First, she destroyed the city to untether his soul from it and the mortals who sustained him and then stabbed Vash’s incarnation with a knife inscribed with his truename, drawing his soul into it.
* By contrast, Light magic manifests itself as hardlight constructs and things linked to the mind and consciousness, i.e. telepathy and Michael’s psychic attack. The Primordials are all personifications of a concept, and where the Void Dragon represents destruction and hunger, I don’t think the Light Dragon represents creation in any direct way. Consider that hunger is a very fundamental drive, it’s an instinct. By contrast, the Light Dragon awoke the mortals’ wills and gave them sapience. Moreover, in the Auroran tarot, the card depicting the Light Dragon represents insight/inspiration. Insight requires understanding and therefore higher-order cognitive processes. My theory is thus that the Light Dragon’s element is the mind rather than the soul and she represents what is effectively consciousness and cognition.
I could keep going, but this post is already long.
Yeah that also works
I tend to see native outsider player characters more often than construct ones though, so my mind went there first
Kendal is easy to attach the “Aasimar” sticker to, also
Isn’t it confirmed to be a lack of hunger in/around page 2.1.31? Maybe for the light dragon it’s curiosity or ‘hunger of the mind’ with it’s focus on the head. given the Dark Dragon said the Light dragon was their equal but, opposite. Where the Body Hungers it Decays but, The Mind Hungers it Learns & Grows. This was a Larger thought than I thought
Paladins, no. But on Page 1.7.21 The Void dragon Mentions. “My Other” Likely The Light Dragon did something to the minds of his tools. “they awoke the mortals wills. Mortals given Sentience…” Which given this Page’s appearance that the Light is affecting the mind more than the body. Just connects in my mind
Plus, on page 1.22.54 the Well Studied Arc Magus Knowledgeable of MANY spells. is confused by the Void Dragon Afflicted Ooze’s ability or spell like action. shown in near white instead of black. Just my thought. because aren’t the mages of an element similar to say a paladin of a primordial? where their powers are mostly a lesser strength of what the primordial can do?
Interesting that we don’t see Kendal affected by this attack… veeery interesting.
… wait, could the GoH have been a light-dragon infected, mutated cave crawler? Look at the effects around their heads. This attack looks awfully similar to GoH’s trauma stare.
Oh, that’s a good catch. Interesting. We know the Lady was responsible for giving humans free will when the Void Dragon had them created…maybe there’s a connection between Light and the mind?
If you follow the theory that Light and Void are two versions of the same thing, then they should represent related concepts. I think Light is knowledge, which gets added to the mind the way food is absorbed by the body.
I guess it would be more accurate to say that Light= Learning.
Anyway, when you eat or learn, you are taking something and integrating it into yourself, be it food or ideas. VD is hostile because eating something destroys it, but LD isn’t because any number of people can know something. Lucy could give mortals sentience because you can’t learn without a mind, and the Paladins are archivists in addition to monster hunters in deference to her.
Personally, my theory is that if Void is the element of hunger/possession (as Erin theorized in 1.22.52), Light is the element of contentment/freedom. I THINK the Goop really was just unstructured Void, rather than something Light-infected, because it’s trauma-stare power seemed to be all about making people, well, traumatized, i.e. overcome by fight or flight instinct which overwhelms rational thought. In contrast, I’m betting that Michael’s halo-stare power is actually overwhelming people with freedom, i.e. decision paralysis!
Although…you’re right that the Goop’s trauma-stare had a strikingly similar glowing-eyes effect as Michael’s halo-stare effect, which is odd. It’s possible there are some holes in my theory…we’ll see, I guess!
Ieam, when you think about it, Vash didn’t know about Void or Light at the time when he made the body that would become Kendal. It hence makes sense that he wouldn’t contain either and be completely unaffected.
Even if he knew about them, he wouldn’t need to add them for the body to serve its purpose (as far as I’m aware) since those elements are needed to make a person (or artificial person) and Kendal’s body was originally just a vessel to hold Vash so he could interact with people in a human form, it wasn’t meant to be autonomous in the first place, which is why Kendal being alive is so strange in the first place.
Gort/Jeff? was doing an emotion effect with his (it’s?) power which is why really messed with Dainix’s Crucible issues. This effect of LD is more a mental pain override not ‘aimed’ emotional part of Dainix’s soul. And waves from across the pond from way faraway California, Veggiesnake, hope things are going better for you now.
I wish I could ask Primordial Life’s thoughts on LD’s actions (beside ‘Ouch that hurts”).
What’s that I hear coming from Monday? Could it be someone’s theme music swelling to the foreground?
Wait, what do you mean you hope things are going better for me? Why are so many people suddenly revealing how much information they know about me today? When have I told you anything about myself? I thought I was doing pretty well.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your POV), Dainix’s Crucible feature is only triggered by psychic ATTACKS, while Michael here is only forcing a saving throw vs. paralysis. They really should fix that loophole in the next patch!
Kendal isn’t being affected by the white dragon magic, so I think that since Kendal was made by Vash and his soul by aliuna(still cant spell it) he doesn’t have anything in him that this paladin can control
What was theorized earlier? Kendal doesn’t have any Void Dragon in him?
Looks like ??? is attacking the Void inside them. But how? What defeats hunger?
Vash, city had a friendly relaxed vibe (at least contrasted to Zuurith’s reaction). I think Vash’s city would be a wonderful place to live, before the Collector got to it. (Darn that miserable villain(ess)).
Uhhh- maybe windcrest, but the high wind warning in my area right now reminding me of the ensuing lack of good hair thst comes with high winds might be a deal breaker :/
Windcrest actually seems pretty cool, both before and after the Storm of Magic was destroyed! Before, I could enjoy the sound of wind and have a lot of fun flying kites and stuff. After, I could get to enjoy Alinua’s magic superfruit! Win-win!
I’ll have to say Hilltop. If we’re doing before destruction with Vash and Zuurith, then the logic would be after Jolon with Hilltop, I think. And Gleicann just seemed like a chill dude. There was also the person with the bear in the inn. It looked like nice people, is what I’m saying. (Also living in the forest is cool.)
I think I’d settle in Windscrest. It seems like a relatively peaceful little town, and I’m more of a quiet, hide-in-a-hobbit-hole kind of person… despite my current residence in a big city.
Looks like Dainix’ condition has started deteriorating, whilst I doubt he’ll go full Crucible right now I wonder if Lucy could deal with it, mainly if this power they’re showing would affect that form.
I was going to comment that this could be a good moment for Falst to develop whatever his connection to the Light Dragon is, but then I realized… Kendal is missing. Could the momentary surprise of “Hey dude why aren’t you on the ground” be enough to let Kendal talk? Will Michael or the Light Dragon make an enlightening lore drop about the nature of Kendal’s soul? It was said by VD during the Tynan fight that Kendal was “Something I haven’t tasted in a very long time” (or something like that), so will LD also know something about the nature of Kendal? Or maybe it will just be a Palaidn vs Kendal fight. I can’t wait to find out.
I’d also like to point out how the attack seems to affect them all differently. For Falst it looks like it’s projecting insane amounts of noise into his brain, Tess just looks weakened, and Erin seems in pain. Meanwhile, both Dainix and Alinua seem to be in some kind of shock states. Dainix looks like he just saw something horrible, and Alina looks more like she wants to rip out her mind but is paralyzed/unable to. I wonder if this means anything and if the effects of this attack are catered to each person, or if I am just looking to much into it.
Also! I vaguely remember seeing here people talking about something like the “aspects of LD” or something like that, and having things like wings, horns, eyes, claws, etc. If that is the case, maybe there champion has all of them, and right now he is using the horns or something similar, since he also has a light halo around his head. He also has what Theia (or June, I forgot her name) has, or something similar, since LD can comunicate directly with him without needing to use extremely inefficient modes of communication, such as dragons. LD also seems capable of seeing through him, which we know she can only do with dragons and with Theia, and not with the “Crown of Sept, bearer of my Horns!” from chapter 0. This would explain his varied power set. Mind projection thing, wings, cool sword, instant primordial to mortal communication, etc. I hope we learn at least a little bit more about the paladins and LD after this chapter.
Oh and another thing! We know Kendal is most likely not affected by the Light magic, much like he isn’t affected by Void, since he seems to lack both. The interesting thing then becomes the implications of him also lacking in whatever the Light dragon’s element does. Before, I personally thought that it was sapience, or otherwise free will. Bit Kendal has both of those things, yet no Light Dragon on him. From the little experimentation they did about Kendal not needing to breathe or eat unless he was hurt or in a fight, we know he is capable of doing the functions that void usually fulfills in functioning beings, just that more punctually, probably by Vash’s design. How would that translate over to the Light element? Since he doesn’t have the excess hunger that goes beyond functionality, what excess is he lacking mind-wise? It’s a far more abstract concept than just “hunger and consumption”. Maybe the lack if mental excess is the reason he wasn’t affected by the Glort or by this attack? They both seem to overload the mind somehow, so maybe Kendal isn’t affected because they use that excess natural mind element to paralyze, and he only has the functional, artificial mind elements? I think this is the case. However, why would Vash build his body to be able to perform mind functions like that? I think this tells us a bit more about the nature of god-made constructs. We were told that gods without form are unfocused, massive souls. Maybe the means through which they focus is by giving their physical constructs capable minds, which they can then host their souls into to allow for better thought. Anyway, that’s what I have thought up. What are Y’all’s thoughts on it? Also sorry for the block of text, I am on mobile and the text box is the size of a keyhole, so I couldn’t get a sense for how to properly space it out.
Oh that’s very fun I didn’t think about that at all! I was just thinking that Lucy wouldn’t have been involved with the process of Kendal soul making so she couldn’t manipulate it but it makes more sense if it’s an odd reflection of whatever is going on with Kendal and Walter. I don’t have much to add to your theory as it seems plausible and my brain is very tired.
Alinua is holding Erin in panel 1, and she’s nowhere to be seen in the last panel. I can only assume that the ship pitched, and Alinua slid to the stern, Titanic style.
Kaiba, just because you were mind crushed in the past, doesn’t give you the right to do it to others.
Before it was motion lines showing the Champion smashing into the ship; now the lines of magical force are coming from him, towards everyone else. I like how you can see the gang’s positions have changed in the second panel group; Falst is now lying on the deck, Dainix stumbles clutching the rail, and Tess, who was walking at the time, has now fallen.
I’m not sure how Alinua and Erin got so far apart though; you can see he left Alinua’s lap in that panel group, maybe he rolled away, but she’s nowhere to be seen in the final panel. The Champion’s attack may be more focused on Erin making him move more, or maybe Alinua’s reacting differently from the others (her face, though alarmed, doesn’t seem as pained as the others).
We saw something like it when Stefan was contacting his followers, but that could have just been a Paladin-to-Paladin thing; this technique is affecting non-Paladins too. This, plus L.D. awakening the mortal wills in the prologue, lends more credence to the theory of Light magic being linked to the mind to counter and contrast Void magic linked to the body.
I think this attack is bombarding them with mental noise; Falst is even trying to block it out by covering his ears (maybe his possible Paladin powers mean he’s getting it worse?). They’re in pain and losing their concentration, but they’re not screaming like it’s truly hurting them. Though we don’t see Kendal affected, which makes sense; he was made by Vash so neither V.D. nor L.D. had a hand in his creation.
Prediction for next week: Kendal steps in to defend Erin, seemingly immune to the mental attack, shocking the Champion. I wonder if this attack might trigger something in Falst too.
Also I can’t help but notice Erin is clutching his chest; that could be because he’s injured there, or it may be because … you know.
I think the sudden distance between Alinua and Erin is just narrative. Sure, it doesn’t work continuity-wise, but Michael is specifically here for Erin and no-one else. If Alinua had been kept in that frame, it would seem more like he was after both of them.
It also makes sense for him to make her move away with whatever kind of psychic attack this is. If he assumed this would keep VD at bay, he would’ve probably done this to Erin immediately, so I think he assumes there will be a fight once he reaches Erin. Better to get all the “innocents” out of harm’s way.
That’s my nickname for the Champion, despite everyone else going for Michael. My reasoning being that he serves the Light Dragon who, in an illustration, is depicted as a white dragon with blue eyes. A Blue-Eyes White Dragon. The Yu-Gi-Oh! connection stuck with me.
Fair. He got slugged by a 6-foot-plus metal monolith that seems to have manipulated elemental lightning for extra momentum. Then he got ragdolled into a solid block of metal (which being “transmuted argent” might have been fairly soft in terms of metal). I’m genuinely surprised he’s not dead. Maybe Tess held back. Maybe he used his powers somehow to brace for the blow. Maybe he’s wearing armor. Maybe he’s just hardier than most. Who knows ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I think this is confirming my theory that I’ve had for a while. I think the paladins use soul magic. Red foreshadowed that there might be an eighth element earlier when Erin dismissed the idea that there was a light dragon because he says that if there were an eighth element, they’d know about it already. They already do know about soul magic and the soul barrier, they just don’t think of it as an element of magic in its own right. They think of it like just a thing that happens. It looks like the paladin is using magic to affect the living soul-filled creatures on the ship, but isn’t affecting Kendall since his soul is Vash and is elsewhere. If void magic is the absence of the six primordial elements, hungrily feeding on and destroying them, it would make sense that its inverse, soul magic, would be essentially a combination of all six primordial elements. It makes me wonder about the nature of Adamant as a physical manifestation of the six primordial elements. VD is trapped in the core of the world by a barrier of Adamant which his void magic can’t affect, which is similar to how you can’t use magic on a living creature because the soul barrier protects it from being directly affected, and if both the soul barrier and Adamant are both created by soul magic as a combination of the six primordial elements, this parity would make sense.
There’s a couple reasons I believe you’re wrong. There’s no such thing as soul matter, unlike the phyisical substance of the normal six and Void. Also, Kendal does have a soul, since it stopped Alinua from fully healing him after the Tynan fight.
Why wouldn’t there be any soul matter? I’d think the giant blue blob of Vash in the collector’s laboratory is made of soul matter. She appears to be studying it quite physically.
The ord IS the soul tho. Why else would it be on the chapter 18 cover or in Kendal’s dream in 1.19.35? Why would she need to keep the orb in place with these strange golden strings? She’s cutting filaments of his soul, which is physically there, in front of her.
You’re focusing too much on the word physical. The point is it does not corrupt, solidify or gather together like all other elemental energies even if it can be crudely manipulated with a special one of a kind material
You said it’s not physical, I wouldn’t know what else to focus on.
Just to be clear, I’m not saying it’s an element, as in made of a dead primordial’s body, I just meant to ask Stark why they thought there was no soul matter, when I think we’ve seen a materialized soul, i.e. made of soul-matter, on the page already.
Yes! I’ve had a sort of half-formed theory regarding the nature of LD, though I doubt I could have summarized it so concisely. I hadn’t thought about it as an aspect of soul magic, but the connection to adamantine seemed suspect, as well as the fact that white light contains every color.
in my headcanon currently, light magic represents breath (1-22-37), free will (1-7-21), and literal light (visually apparent), but *not* souls, as others have pointed out. it also likely governs biological healing and reproduction (extra lore > the seventh element), as those would be quite odd mechanisms to be governed by void.
if i am correct about this, this may suggest a mutualistic relationship between light and void in a typical mortal’s body; void to consume nutrients, and light to incorporate that which is consumed. that would certainly justify worshipping both dragons as the ancients once did (1-14-22). perhaps he’s not pure evil after all; a bit of yang in every yin.
The dragon is evil, not because he’s made of something that can destroy anything, but because he will crush anything to achieve his goals, namely eating stars which are thinking beings in this world. And the breath associations seems more a Falst self-sacrifice thing, rather than a paladin dragon thing
All we know for sure is that the Lady “awoke the mortals’ wills”. Assumming, of course, that the Void Dragon is a reliable narrator. It’s possible that the Lady is more closely related to the mind, or sentience rather than the soul, although the difference is difficult to pin down.
But if the Void Dragon created Ancients, Elves, and Humans to control the elements, then he must have created them with the soul channels necessary to process elemental energy, so the Soul must have existed before the Lady intervened.
I find myself agreeing with your conclusions, but I dispute a few points of evidence. There was a theory posted recently that succinctly articulates the evidence for LD=Soul theory on the subreddit. It may interest you.
Hm…so, if there’s a little Void in every being the Twins made, maybe he’s targeting that for his attack?
Or maybe, just as there’s Void, there’s also some of the Light Dragon’s essence in every being the Twins made, which he can also use.
Which is kind of an interesting thing for Kendal, because then he wouldn’t be independent of just VD, but LD as well.
Not sure how the Paladins will respond to that.
Why would you think of him using the void in their bodies at all, rather than immediatly thinking of him just agitating the paladin element in their bodies already?
Things do not look good for our heroes. Stay tuned next week for more monologuing from the LD. She wants the crew to *understand* why she’s killing their friend, and this is great spot to slip in some exposition to tell us what Erin and the gang will be facing.
It seems only a Giant Distraction (Rakhn? Mermaids? Erin losing control of the storm?) can rescue them at this point.
It appears that Kendal has no LD in him either (as others have mentioned). I sense the yeetening approaches. Wonder if that (the absence of the Lady in Kendal) might shock Michael enough to get the upper hand.
I’m particularly struck by the beautiful details of the hands in the close-up shots…you can actually see each joint in Alinua’s graceful hands. It’s lovely (and hands are SUCH A PAIN). I am sort of confused why she’s not in the shot with Erin, when she was so close to him and it appears everyone just…fell over.
I’m also thinking that attacking multiple folks possessed with barely controlled powers (Dainix, Alinua, Erin) might not work out the way Michael hopes…
It isn’t as if keeping Erin alive is very important to Life. If she understands what’s happening here, then she’ll probably be okay with the Lady executing Erin. He is the vessel of her sworn nemesis and killer.
Prior experience suggests yes. However, they’re on a metal ship (though it has a wooden deck) in the middle of an ocean. It’s not that Life would be helpless, but with the ocean floor miles away, and the only living matter being milled lumber and whatever seeds Alinua has on her…I don’t know how much Life could do besides heal.
Things to note (if you missed any)
1. Kendal is probably fine and capable of fighting
2. Alinua is missing (I think that might just be red forgetting or to make it clear who Michael is hunting tho)
3. Dainix may finally just go demon mode or do the partial transformation (with his arm and eye turning to fire but not much else)
4. Kinda a spoiler if you haven’t been following reds tumblr but there was a yeet doodle that showed Kendal yeeting someone with an arm brace (an arm brace that is very similar to Michael’s) so I think I know some of what happens next page
Erin looks like a christian martyr in the last panel. Something about the halo + pose of one hand over stomach, one out to the side…
But nobody tell him, it’ll go straight to his head.
He fell in a similar position when he passed out from VD retreating the very first time, hand over his chest. I was thinking the halos gave crown-of-thorns vibes. Ouchy. Michael’s looks more like a crown of *horns*, though.
so the light dragon also has weird possession powers over the beings of this world??
…
guys?
Guys, are we sure the weird invasive dragon species is actually invasive? What if they’re like…the actual twin creator gods? from the beginning? Red did say no one has seen them in forever and I heard the evil dragon in the opening scene but I only SAW the twins…and the dragon seemed to be mad at someone else for fucking up his possession plan at the time….
Some of this is canon and some has just been implied but as far as I can tell both the Void Dragon and the Light Dragon are primordials who were alive before the creation of the planet and who in some way influenced the twins to create people, but are separate entities from them. I’m not sure if they directly created the twins or not, maybe it says that somewhere and I just forgot. I’m also curious as to what you mean by “invasive”? do you just mean “not from this planet”? in that case I think they are
I didn’t remember that tidbit from Journey to the West when I first read this, but yeah! I initially got the impression this attack targeted their freedom to act, like it interfered with their willpower or focus. Michael’s halo looks like a crown to me, which makes me think of ruling or control, and we know the Light Dragon has a connection to humans’ free will. I was thinking along the lines of it directly tampering with the brain’s ability to command the body and move, and the reactions on the page as shock and distress over that sudden lack of ability to think clearly or move as they normally would… but actually, given that they can still react naturally to the attack (raising their hands to clutch at their head, making faces of agony, etc.), brain pain as the mechanism for messing with will/focus/etc., as opposed to direct paralysis, makes more sense. And given how well Red knows Journey to the West, it wouldn’t be surprising if she drew inspiration from there.
Snakesocket we have yet to be shown Kendal murdering someone but please note that red stated on her tumblr that if Kendal draws his sword it means he’s willing to kill. While he hasn’t drawn his sword yet please note that he immediately put his hand on the hilt when the paladin first showed up. I’m pretty sure Kendal is willing to kill he just hasn’t been pushed to do so just yet.
And starshadow Melody… the light dragon is morally questionable but I’m pretty sure jumping to she needs to die is not only preemptive but also would likely have some catastrophic draw backs.
kendal reaching for the sword when the paladin arrives might be more of a instinct thing than an he actually being willing to kill michael since in the next panels his hand is not in the handle tho
I considered that but I think that isn’t an act of instinct because it’s been mentioned several times on red’s tumblr how Kendal doesn’t waster any movement. He doesn’t shift weight from foot to foot, fidget at all or even breathe unless he has a particular reason to. Kendal doesn’t seem to have any kind of ingrained habits and seems to only move in intentional ways. I suspect the reason he didn’t draw his sword at the time was because he thought that there was a chance that the paladin could be reasoned with and at that time drawing his sword would not only indicate aggression but also means that he’s willing to kill despite a fair chance of a peaceful solution. Which I don’t think he would do.
… considering a lot of this community feels soul magic could exist that is as if now a very much so an opinion. So consider not stating it as a fact solely to say another theory is false as that’s discouraging to people who are making theories. And while I’m somewhat doubtful of soul and light magic as one and the same there are many things that make it potentially possible. Or at least make the theory hold a fair bit of weight.
Requesting that this not be the tone of argument moving forward. Being dismissive and know-it-all about other people’s takes is just bad vibes all around. I understand your opinion, and you have every right to think so, but there is no need to talk down to others. There is no need to exert that you have the one true answer, even if it does turn out that you’re right, if that involves being dismissive.
Aurora has so far been a very positive discussion space. And I get that as the community grows we’ll get more and more diverging opinions because that is how the internet works. But can we please at least keep the conversations civil? I know that attempts to improve discussion climate online are rarely successful, but it really would help.
Not criticising you or your theories, you are entitled to those. But so is everyone else, and equally entitled not to be talked down to.
Sincerely, a teenager who does not want the one space where I publish my poetry to turn unsafe
Can you explain what you mean by me not actually talking with you? I apologize if I came off as rude as I simply found your response to be in poor taste. I know that if I made a theory and someone was immediately dismissive of it I would find that very discouraging so I decided to see if I could do something about it.
Yes, I was pleasantly surprised to independently formulate this theory, then read the comments on these comics and find others with very similar thoughts. A very pleasant experience of community.
What else do you call the magic by which the collector bound Vash’s soul to a dagger, or Tahraim that of Tynan? Or the magic by which the Void Dragon forged a soul link between his and Erin’s souls? Heck, the process by which a mortal’s awareness of a location and/or phenomenon may grant it a soul?
Maybe not as elemental magic, but some kid of soul magic, whether by that name or another, does exist in this world.
It is not magic as defined in this world, no manipulating primordial matter and energy. They are just putting people in knives and need special tools to even interact with them further afterwards
Guess what’s on those knives. Words! Written in the language used for magic. In other words, this is likely just a different way of interacting with magic. And also soul energy is nigh guaranteed to have a primordial involved because it interacts with the other primordials as if it’s equal in power. Even if it’s not one and the same as paladin magic it almost certainly has a primordial ruling over it and constitutes as magic and so far there has simply been no mages of it which is why tools are used to interact with it. There simply has yet to be a mage capable of it.
Yet another reason to outright side with the Void Dragon over the Light Dragon, and just hope we can deal with him later. If not, at least we aren’t at risk of being mind controlled.
Please consider that it’s potentially quite rude to say that what is essentially a tool is unheroic especially when this is not mind control. This spell seems to be causing pain but the characters all seem in complete control of their actions except for the fact that they’re feeling immense amounts of pain which seems to be the only thing influencing their actions. As such it’s not mind control as that involves controlling someone’s actions.
To further prove my point mind control is not inherently evil. To use an analogy to get my point across can a gun be evil? No because if you just told me yes please explain how a non sentient thing can be held morally accountable for its actions when quite literally another being is the one controlling all of its actions. Mind controlling is a tool and about as morally accountable as the gun. Yes mind controlling is often associated with bad things but if I doubt you’d be saying Kendal is unheroic if he used mind controlling (I’m aware he can’t I’m saying if he somehow could like via some tool) to save one of the squad from an antagonist. Now say what you want about the paladin but please don’t say something is unheroic and as such imply it as bad for the crime of existing.
people want the L.D and the paladins to be “evil corrupt light church” so bad its impressive, even if the floof squad can contain erin and the valter not even erin knows if the monks can help with his situation and we saw erin getting taken over/getting close to it multiple times, killing him is perfectly reasonable in this scenario especially from an outsider(like the paladins)’s perspective
I agree with you that this doesn’t seem to be mind control, but rather some kind of more general psychich attack.
However, to your point on inherent morality: I agree that no inanimate object can be held morally accountable for what people choose to do with it. But some things are so inexcusable, that any usage of said inanimate object immediately condemns the user. For example, a nuclear bomb is not evil. But any person willingly and knowingly using a nuclear bomb is, because the death of millions will be on their hands. In my opinion, any person willingly using mind control has done something so very invasive that I’d say the method makes them evil. Naturally all cases are different and the person might be very right to use mind control, and the concept of mind control isn’t inherently moral, but any use would at least open up some morally grey options I think. But since this is an ethical question, there are no right and wrong answers. This is just my take.
So if Michael here was using mind control, he’d at least showcase some willingness to cross boundaries of free will and bodily integrity. Which in turn is definitely not heroic.
Your absolutely right in that some things when used just have an automatic bad effect that in a way immediately makes anyone who uses that to some degree morally wrong. You’re also correct that mind control does fall under that umbrella of: if used you kinda automatically are in the moral wrong.
I just personally have some troubles with remembering that, yes suddenly being able to understand/look into something very private and personal can be very morally wrong and I think that’s because stories just make that something you are literally constantly doing to the characters. That and the fact that unless some things are explicitly pointed out I tend to just forget or ignore it. Though there are situations where mind control could be the morally correct option but that depends on variables such as the flavor of mind control, who’s it’s being used on, if their we’re alternate solutions, etc, etc. so in general totally agree with your point though it does vary a bit depending on the situation.
Uh, Light paladin, please consider that casting a migraine spell on this particular party might result in 1) an imminently imploding Crucible on a very flammable ship deck; 2) Life herself busting down the door to give you a smack on the head for messing with the lens of her microscope; 3) getting clawed by a ferin who, yes, might be used to curling up and hoping the source of his sensory overload will go away eventually (because Falst’s migraine pose looks a lot like mine when the world is too much), but might also be accustomed to killing the source of overload out of desperation; 4) Voidy finally having enough and fighting for the driver’s seat; 5) Kendal, as in the sword, swinging right for your neck, because there is a curious lack of blond demigod writhing in pain on this page.
Tldr: my dude, you’ve been flashbanged, ice-blasted into a mast, tackled by a ferin, and punched in the diaphragm by the humanoid equivalent of a steel i-beam. Quit while you’re ahead.
My bet is that the ocean finally capsizes the boat, also in the last panel. Where is Ailuna and Kendal? They should be visible based on the previous panels. Also this reminds me a lot of that one mental attack from the tower wizard in the 1st castlevania show.
Hang on one second! That looks a lot like the white/blue stuff that snapped the first humans out of the dragon’s control in the second page of this comic. If the Dragon is physiological need, perhaps the Lady of the Moon was what provided free thought. Matter and mind, respectively. It would explain how she has a backdoor to all of their psyches in the same way as the Dragon can effect their physical forms, and why it doesn’t seem like Kendal’s being effected as someone who wasn’t constructed in the same manner as the others.
No Kendal? What ever could that mean😀
Oh yeah! Good catch. Hmmm. He doesn’t have any Void, so if he doesn’t have Light in him either…
I always assumed he had Light, because he clearly has free will (even if he doesn’t use it much), compared to the golems Erin mentioned. But that’s definitely what this appears to be leading up to, yes.
I’m pretty sure Kendal has a soul, so this *should* work on him.
Paladins using soul magic was never confirmed
Nor the existence of “soul magic”
That’s what I was thinking, but we do see his arm on the left in the first panel and from his posture he seems crown-stunned, too.
I refuse to believe he was affected
He looks normal-stunned to me.
I feel like red not showing a frame of Kendal’s face as he’s stunned like the rest of the characters is an indicator that he’s not stunned
He is the arm and leg in the first frame. Cannot be sure if he’s affected or not
I know where he is and my strong hope is that this kills the light=souls or stars or whatever theory for good
May I ask why? I don’t personally subscribe to the light = stars theory, at least not until there’s more evidence for it, but the light = souls theory holds a lot of weight, at least I think it does. In panel 2 on page 1.8.3, the mind and soul are shown as being purple and blue, the colours of VD & LD. It’s never stated which is which, but from Erin’s statement on the same panel, “the mind is known for flexibility”, we can infer that the mind is probably the purple one, because of its spirals, as opposed to the blue half, which is jagged and angular. This lines up nicely with the creation myth in the prologue and what VD says in chapter seven: ‘The moment my tool was perfected, they awoke the mortals’ wills. Mortals given sentence could not be controlled, and in a single instant, my hope of escape shattered with your fledgling species.”. If I can expand off this, I think the soul shaper monks might not affect the void dragon, because of his association with the mind, rather than the soul. Worse, they could even be worshipers of him, because of their reliance on the mind. I also think its interesting that on panel three, the mind and soul together are shown as being golden, like Yanna the Golden, the obscure sun god in-universe, and how the sun is depected in VD’s monologue about killing the primordials in chapter seven.
Nonsense, void is a very dark, almost black purple. Void is also associated with adding things to something not thinking. The first people already had souls or they would not have been able to use magic or not fall apart. The goo crawler was utilizing light magic for its trauma stare, connecting light to thought, along with the wills line supporting it further. This theory was always paper-thin and its my 2nd least favorite Aurora comment thing
My refutation needs to be structured better
also you were totally right about the brain blast good job
I feel like there are two likely scenarios at this point:
Either Kendal stops the paladin or the Void dragon stops the paladin. It seems really unlikely that Erin dies as that would close off to many story possibilities and be too much of a downer for this relatively upbeat story.
If the paladin’s attack took Erin out of the fight completely then there is nothing restraining the Void dragon. IF the Paladin’s halo stun attack does not work on Voidy then using it is a tactical error.
Of course maybe some third thing will come out of nowhere and stop the Paladin, but that seems like it would not the way of this story.
I wonder why the champion can’t or hasn’t seen life through Alinua, like Erin could when he was being possessed?
Okay. The comments below seem to be getting heated over the nature of Paladin magic. In the interest of civil discourse, I’ve created a post detailing all the evidence for Paladin magic being equivalent to soul magic, with all its implications. Let’s keep the debating/arguing out of this page, shall we?
https://www.reddit.com/r/AuroraComic/comments/1g7jh3b/light_dragon_soul_magic_on_the_theoretical_eighth/
Unfortunately, since I don’t have Reddit, I’m gonna post my refutations here in the replies.
Before I begin, I must commend you for the post. It is very well-written.
As you said, we have this handy explanation by Erin in 1.8.3 of how the Soulshaper monks operate, and we have that blue-and-white glow similar to that of the Paladins. However, this is where I believe you’ve made the wrong assumption that the blue-white tone indicates the soul rather than the mind. Here’s some of the reasons why:
* As you said, Red has gone to great lengths to ensure different effects are visually distinct and color-coded. Water magic, Starfire and Light magic are all various shades of blue and all 3 are fairly easily discernible from one another. However, the gods (who are vast, self-sustaining lattices of soul energy) each have a distinct color of the soul energy that composes them. If Light was the element of Soul, then soul energy ought to be uniformly Paladin-hued per Red’s own visual coding. But it isn’t.
* For that matter, what does soul energy actually do? We know that it is omnipresent, and that it settles into inanimate objects over time. As it does, it blocks the influence of elemental energies and confers a resistance to manipulation via magic to the material, see 1.22.5. The tighter and more structured the soul is, e.g. in mortals, the greater this resistance to magic. You can still use to magic to use the physical elements around to hurt them, e.g. burn or electrocute someone, or impale them with a stone spike, but you can’t manipulate the elements within a body shielded by a soul lattice, e.g. bloodbending. See: 1.11.16.
* Soul energy can only really be interacted with in very few ways: 1)using the mind to slowly bend it to one’s will like what the soulshaper monks do, 2) use soulcrystal to ward off elemental influence (e.g. magical hazmat suits and/or clean rooms), or 3) by using truenames (which are essentially an entity’s magical DNA). That last one is most commonly used in necromancy to compel the ambient soul energy into a facsimile of the named entity, think Speak with Dead from D&D. This is also how the Collector bound Vash in the firrst place. First, she destroyed the city to untether his soul from it and the mortals who sustained him and then stabbed Vash’s incarnation with a knife inscribed with his truename, drawing his soul into it.
* By contrast, Light magic manifests itself as hardlight constructs and things linked to the mind and consciousness, i.e. telepathy and Michael’s psychic attack. The Primordials are all personifications of a concept, and where the Void Dragon represents destruction and hunger, I don’t think the Light Dragon represents creation in any direct way. Consider that hunger is a very fundamental drive, it’s an instinct. By contrast, the Light Dragon awoke the mortals’ wills and gave them sapience. Moreover, in the Auroran tarot, the card depicting the Light Dragon represents insight/inspiration. Insight requires understanding and therefore higher-order cognitive processes. My theory is thus that the Light Dragon’s element is the mind rather than the soul and she represents what is effectively consciousness and cognition.
I could keep going, but this post is already long.
For mobile readers.
Alt-text: me when I accidentally open my phone screen at full brightness at 3 AM
Image source: forgive
Tumblr text: he’s beaming twitter feeds directly into everyone’s brains, the fiend
Twitter text: When I eat my ice cream too fast.
I read this at 8am at full brightness, which is weird because my phone brightness is usually pretty low.
Bluesky text:
when I eat my ice cream too fast
Paladin casts mass hołd person!
Everyone failed their saving throw.
Doesn’t affect Kendal
I feel like the first panel could be a meme for something
“Dropping the cursed meme in the group chat and turning off notifications”
Paladin casts Mass Hold Person!
Everyone fails their saving throw.
It doesn’t affect Kendal.
Kendal is a sword, not a person. Also one and only demigod walking the planet, so it might be that 🙂
Kendal’s entire arc is mostly about him realizing he is a person
The spell works on humanoids, but fool that he is he does not realise that Kendal is a Native Outsider
I believe technically Kendal isn’t a Native Outsider, but rather a Construct. Hence why he has no Void or apparently, Light.
Yeah that also works
I tend to see native outsider player characters more often than construct ones though, so my mind went there first
Kendal is easy to attach the “Aasimar” sticker to, also
I wonder if this will effect Falst in some way later on
With a crown of light
He takes them out of the fight
To do what is right
(Bonus)
Yowch! Nasty brain freeze!
Maybe ’cause they’ve all got souls?
Except for Kendal?
Kendal definitely has a soul, look at 1.8.8 and the life vision pages in Beast. So it must be something else they have that he doesn’t
Oh, yes I see now
Thank you for clarifying
Wonder what it is
Now that’s what I call commiting to the bit.
Haha, yes I try
To write only in haiku
Or in emoji
Isn’t it confirmed to be a lack of hunger in/around page 2.1.31? Maybe for the light dragon it’s curiosity or ‘hunger of the mind’ with it’s focus on the head. given the Dark Dragon said the Light dragon was their equal but, opposite. Where the Body Hungers it Decays but, The Mind Hungers it Learns & Grows. This was a Larger thought than I thought
What are you talking about? paladin element was not mentioned at all on that page.
Paladins, no. But on Page 1.7.21 The Void dragon Mentions. “My Other” Likely The Light Dragon did something to the minds of his tools. “they awoke the mortals wills. Mortals given Sentience…” Which given this Page’s appearance that the Light is affecting the mind more than the body. Just connects in my mind
Plus, on page 1.22.54 the Well Studied Arc Magus Knowledgeable of MANY spells. is confused by the Void Dragon Afflicted Ooze’s ability or spell like action. shown in near white instead of black. Just my thought. because aren’t the mages of an element similar to say a paladin of a primordial? where their powers are mostly a lesser strength of what the primordial can do?
The vastness can sneak up on you when you least expect it. Isn’t wonderful?
I don’t see how those events relate to your lack of hunger idea
isn’t Curiosity, A burning desire to learn, like hunger? or is that just me?
Interesting that we don’t see Kendal affected by this attack… veeery interesting.
… wait, could the GoH have been a light-dragon infected, mutated cave crawler? Look at the effects around their heads. This attack looks awfully similar to GoH’s trauma stare.
More like an ancient who was a light dragon priest and got stuck in the caves and corrupted
Oh, that’s a good catch. Interesting. We know the Lady was responsible for giving humans free will when the Void Dragon had them created…maybe there’s a connection between Light and the mind?
If you follow the theory that Light and Void are two versions of the same thing, then they should represent related concepts. I think Light is knowledge, which gets added to the mind the way food is absorbed by the body.
Where did that thought come from?
I guess it would be more accurate to say that Light= Learning.
Anyway, when you eat or learn, you are taking something and integrating it into yourself, be it food or ideas. VD is hostile because eating something destroys it, but LD isn’t because any number of people can know something. Lucy could give mortals sentience because you can’t learn without a mind, and the Paladins are archivists in addition to monster hunters in deference to her.
I meant the idea both dragons represent the same concept
Well, if their substances are two forms of the same thing then their concepts probably should be too.
Personally, my theory is that if Void is the element of hunger/possession (as Erin theorized in 1.22.52), Light is the element of contentment/freedom. I THINK the Goop really was just unstructured Void, rather than something Light-infected, because it’s trauma-stare power seemed to be all about making people, well, traumatized, i.e. overcome by fight or flight instinct which overwhelms rational thought. In contrast, I’m betting that Michael’s halo-stare power is actually overwhelming people with freedom, i.e. decision paralysis!
Although…you’re right that the Goop’s trauma-stare had a strikingly similar glowing-eyes effect as Michael’s halo-stare effect, which is odd. It’s possible there are some holes in my theory…we’ll see, I guess!
Hey buddy, can’t help but notice that we didn’t see you affecting Kendal.
You know, like a certain other dragon.
Ieam, when you think about it, Vash didn’t know about Void or Light at the time when he made the body that would become Kendal. It hence makes sense that he wouldn’t contain either and be completely unaffected.
Even if he knew about them, he wouldn’t need to add them for the body to serve its purpose (as far as I’m aware) since those elements are needed to make a person (or artificial person) and Kendal’s body was originally just a vessel to hold Vash so he could interact with people in a human form, it wasn’t meant to be autonomous in the first place, which is why Kendal being alive is so strange in the first place.
Fuck you, you’re getting hit with the BRAIN BLAST!
Calling it now, Kendal is immune to the psychic damage, just like what happened with the Glort.
Can’t wait for Kendal to come at Paladin with the steel chair next week
Two things:
1) Kendal is not shown in this page, which means he is almost certainly immune to psychic attacks, just as we saw with the GLORT
2) Dainix tends to explode as a side effect of psychic attacks, as we also saw with the GLORT
It seems more a strong headache this time instead of a reply of all trauma, so Dainix probably won’t flame up that much
*Replay, not reply
Third thing: Alinua disappears in the last panel. She was shown holding Erin in the first, but in the last he’s completely alone.
She reacted to the brain thing, she didn’t disappear she let go of him
Gort/Jeff? was doing an emotion effect with his (it’s?) power which is why really messed with Dainix’s Crucible issues. This effect of LD is more a mental pain override not ‘aimed’ emotional part of Dainix’s soul. And waves from across the pond from way faraway California, Veggiesnake, hope things are going better for you now.
I wish I could ask Primordial Life’s thoughts on LD’s actions (beside ‘Ouch that hurts”).
What’s that I hear coming from Monday? Could it be someone’s theme music swelling to the foreground?
Wait, what do you mean you hope things are going better for me? Why are so many people suddenly revealing how much information they know about me today? When have I told you anything about myself? I thought I was doing pretty well.
What theme music would you have that be?
It can’t be “I Need a Hero” Erin already has claim to that.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your POV), Dainix’s Crucible feature is only triggered by psychic ATTACKS, while Michael here is only forcing a saving throw vs. paralysis. They really should fix that loophole in the next patch!
Everyone’s replying that Dainix is fine, which is true in the first panel, but in the second he’s cracking so he’s very much not fine.
i dont see Kendal here, hopefully he is as unaffected by the Light Dragon as he is by the Dark Dragon and can save us all somehow
Someone’s Face seems to be Missing for the Painful Halo Images. Weren’t there 7 people in the first image yet only 5 response faces?
I think you might be counting the paladin in your count which I assume you didn’t attend. You’re right about Kendal being missing though!
So, I can not help but notice that of the people being shown being mind-spiked, I very much do NOT see Vash falling to the ground.
*headdesk* I mean Kendal.
>.<
I’ve done worst mistakes in my comments, @Zargaroth (smile in sympathy while rubbing head)
To be fair, I can’t see Vash either.
Kendal isn’t being affected by the white dragon magic, so I think that since Kendal was made by Vash and his soul by aliuna(still cant spell it) he doesn’t have anything in him that this paladin can control
Discord light mode be like
What was theorized earlier? Kendal doesn’t have any Void Dragon in him?
Looks like ??? is attacking the Void inside them. But how? What defeats hunger?
No they’re crushing the team’s minds because light is the mental element
A halo of thorns sprouts from every head,
Paralysing, agonising white.
Clutching his side, the stranger steps forth
To bring an end to the fight.
Some strange psychich force knocks the Floofs to the floor
Michael rises to end this, and fight no more
We do, however, not see Kendal getting knocked over. Conspicuously enough.
I’m going to keep from expressing this until the comic shows what’s happening with him
Aurora Question #9: Which City/Village in Aurora would you like to live in? (Undestroyed Versions)
Argist, maybe lobster there
Argist or Vash. Vash likes cake. To be fair, those are really the only nice places we’ve been to and one of them no longer exists.
Vash, city had a friendly relaxed vibe (at least contrasted to Zuurith’s reaction). I think Vash’s city would be a wonderful place to live, before the Collector got to it. (Darn that miserable villain(ess)).
Vash or maybe Windscrest!
Uhhh- maybe windcrest, but the high wind warning in my area right now reminding me of the ensuing lack of good hair thst comes with high winds might be a deal breaker :/
Asera would be pretty cool if they didn’t do slavery. I’ll say Vash instead.
Windcrest actually seems pretty cool, both before and after the Storm of Magic was destroyed! Before, I could enjoy the sound of wind and have a lot of fun flying kites and stuff. After, I could get to enjoy Alinua’s magic superfruit! Win-win!
I’ll have to say Hilltop. If we’re doing before destruction with Vash and Zuurith, then the logic would be after Jolon with Hilltop, I think. And Gleicann just seemed like a chill dude. There was also the person with the bear in the inn. It looked like nice people, is what I’m saying. (Also living in the forest is cool.)
I think I’d settle in Windscrest. It seems like a relatively peaceful little town, and I’m more of a quiet, hide-in-a-hobbit-hole kind of person… despite my current residence in a big city.
Where’s Alinua in the last panel? In the first one, she’s crouched next to Erin, but then she’s not in the wide shot
Looks like Dainix’ condition has started deteriorating, whilst I doubt he’ll go full Crucible right now I wonder if Lucy could deal with it, mainly if this power they’re showing would affect that form.
I was going to comment that this could be a good moment for Falst to develop whatever his connection to the Light Dragon is, but then I realized… Kendal is missing. Could the momentary surprise of “Hey dude why aren’t you on the ground” be enough to let Kendal talk? Will Michael or the Light Dragon make an enlightening lore drop about the nature of Kendal’s soul? It was said by VD during the Tynan fight that Kendal was “Something I haven’t tasted in a very long time” (or something like that), so will LD also know something about the nature of Kendal? Or maybe it will just be a Palaidn vs Kendal fight. I can’t wait to find out.
I’d also like to point out how the attack seems to affect them all differently. For Falst it looks like it’s projecting insane amounts of noise into his brain, Tess just looks weakened, and Erin seems in pain. Meanwhile, both Dainix and Alinua seem to be in some kind of shock states. Dainix looks like he just saw something horrible, and Alina looks more like she wants to rip out her mind but is paralyzed/unable to. I wonder if this means anything and if the effects of this attack are catered to each person, or if I am just looking to much into it.
Also! I vaguely remember seeing here people talking about something like the “aspects of LD” or something like that, and having things like wings, horns, eyes, claws, etc. If that is the case, maybe there champion has all of them, and right now he is using the horns or something similar, since he also has a light halo around his head. He also has what Theia (or June, I forgot her name) has, or something similar, since LD can comunicate directly with him without needing to use extremely inefficient modes of communication, such as dragons. LD also seems capable of seeing through him, which we know she can only do with dragons and with Theia, and not with the “Crown of Sept, bearer of my Horns!” from chapter 0. This would explain his varied power set. Mind projection thing, wings, cool sword, instant primordial to mortal communication, etc. I hope we learn at least a little bit more about the paladins and LD after this chapter.
Oh and another thing! We know Kendal is most likely not affected by the Light magic, much like he isn’t affected by Void, since he seems to lack both. The interesting thing then becomes the implications of him also lacking in whatever the Light dragon’s element does. Before, I personally thought that it was sapience, or otherwise free will. Bit Kendal has both of those things, yet no Light Dragon on him. From the little experimentation they did about Kendal not needing to breathe or eat unless he was hurt or in a fight, we know he is capable of doing the functions that void usually fulfills in functioning beings, just that more punctually, probably by Vash’s design. How would that translate over to the Light element? Since he doesn’t have the excess hunger that goes beyond functionality, what excess is he lacking mind-wise? It’s a far more abstract concept than just “hunger and consumption”. Maybe the lack if mental excess is the reason he wasn’t affected by the Glort or by this attack? They both seem to overload the mind somehow, so maybe Kendal isn’t affected because they use that excess natural mind element to paralyze, and he only has the functional, artificial mind elements? I think this is the case. However, why would Vash build his body to be able to perform mind functions like that? I think this tells us a bit more about the nature of god-made constructs. We were told that gods without form are unfocused, massive souls. Maybe the means through which they focus is by giving their physical constructs capable minds, which they can then host their souls into to allow for better thought. Anyway, that’s what I have thought up. What are Y’all’s thoughts on it? Also sorry for the block of text, I am on mobile and the text box is the size of a keyhole, so I couldn’t get a sense for how to properly space it out.
Oh that’s very fun I didn’t think about that at all! I was just thinking that Lucy wouldn’t have been involved with the process of Kendal soul making so she couldn’t manipulate it but it makes more sense if it’s an odd reflection of whatever is going on with Kendal and Walter. I don’t have much to add to your theory as it seems plausible and my brain is very tired.
Oh, and checkov’s gun from a while ago: They were wondering if Kendal could survive a while underwater thanks to his void-less breathing…
ohh, the white dragon does mind stuff and that’s why things went wrong for the void dragon and its obedient slaves went and became sentient
I can’t help but notice a distinct lack of a migraine halo around Kendall’s head… seems like the fight is not over yet
Alinua is holding Erin in panel 1, and she’s nowhere to be seen in the last panel. I can only assume that the ship pitched, and Alinua slid to the stern, Titanic style.
Where did Alinua go in the final panel?
Hey! Stop it!
Also their magic seems to leeking out of them. Something to do with soul channels maybe?
Also, their magic seems to be leaking out of them. Something to do with souls/soul channels
Fire, on a ship, in the middle of the ocean and a big rain? …it’s more likely than anyone except Falst would like to think…§
Kaiba, just because you were mind crushed in the past, doesn’t give you the right to do it to others.
Before it was motion lines showing the Champion smashing into the ship; now the lines of magical force are coming from him, towards everyone else. I like how you can see the gang’s positions have changed in the second panel group; Falst is now lying on the deck, Dainix stumbles clutching the rail, and Tess, who was walking at the time, has now fallen.
I’m not sure how Alinua and Erin got so far apart though; you can see he left Alinua’s lap in that panel group, maybe he rolled away, but she’s nowhere to be seen in the final panel. The Champion’s attack may be more focused on Erin making him move more, or maybe Alinua’s reacting differently from the others (her face, though alarmed, doesn’t seem as pained as the others).
We saw something like it when Stefan was contacting his followers, but that could have just been a Paladin-to-Paladin thing; this technique is affecting non-Paladins too. This, plus L.D. awakening the mortal wills in the prologue, lends more credence to the theory of Light magic being linked to the mind to counter and contrast Void magic linked to the body.
I think this attack is bombarding them with mental noise; Falst is even trying to block it out by covering his ears (maybe his possible Paladin powers mean he’s getting it worse?). They’re in pain and losing their concentration, but they’re not screaming like it’s truly hurting them. Though we don’t see Kendal affected, which makes sense; he was made by Vash so neither V.D. nor L.D. had a hand in his creation.
Prediction for next week: Kendal steps in to defend Erin, seemingly immune to the mental attack, shocking the Champion. I wonder if this attack might trigger something in Falst too.
Also I can’t help but notice Erin is clutching his chest; that could be because he’s injured there, or it may be because … you know.
I think the sudden distance between Alinua and Erin is just narrative. Sure, it doesn’t work continuity-wise, but Michael is specifically here for Erin and no-one else. If Alinua had been kept in that frame, it would seem more like he was after both of them.
It also makes sense for him to make her move away with whatever kind of psychic attack this is. If he assumed this would keep VD at bay, he would’ve probably done this to Erin immediately, so I think he assumes there will be a fight once he reaches Erin. Better to get all the “innocents” out of harm’s way.
Who is Kaiba?
That’s my nickname for the Champion, despite everyone else going for Michael. My reasoning being that he serves the Light Dragon who, in an illustration, is depicted as a white dragon with blue eyes. A Blue-Eyes White Dragon. The Yu-Gi-Oh! connection stuck with me.
Where is Kendal? Also, Erin looks pretty defeated.
Erin’s got a hand on his chest… If Kendal distracts Michael, it might give him an opening to try something with Void.
Guys
Guys where did Alinua go
It looks like the paladin received significant damage from Tess’s punch
Fair. He got slugged by a 6-foot-plus metal monolith that seems to have manipulated elemental lightning for extra momentum. Then he got ragdolled into a solid block of metal (which being “transmuted argent” might have been fairly soft in terms of metal). I’m genuinely surprised he’s not dead. Maybe Tess held back. Maybe he used his powers somehow to brace for the blow. Maybe he’s wearing armor. Maybe he’s just hardier than most. Who knows ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
OH SHOOT I WAS NOT EXPWCTING HIM TO DO THAT
i mean i was expecting him to do something really cool. but not that.
And now we see the violence inherent in the Paladins! COME AND SEE THE VIOLENCE INHERENT IN THE PALADINS!!! HELP! HELP! THEY ARE BEING REPRESSED!!!!
They got monkey kinged D:
My brain also immediately went to that migraine spell. Good to see I’m not the only one!
I think this is confirming my theory that I’ve had for a while. I think the paladins use soul magic. Red foreshadowed that there might be an eighth element earlier when Erin dismissed the idea that there was a light dragon because he says that if there were an eighth element, they’d know about it already. They already do know about soul magic and the soul barrier, they just don’t think of it as an element of magic in its own right. They think of it like just a thing that happens. It looks like the paladin is using magic to affect the living soul-filled creatures on the ship, but isn’t affecting Kendall since his soul is Vash and is elsewhere. If void magic is the absence of the six primordial elements, hungrily feeding on and destroying them, it would make sense that its inverse, soul magic, would be essentially a combination of all six primordial elements. It makes me wonder about the nature of Adamant as a physical manifestation of the six primordial elements. VD is trapped in the core of the world by a barrier of Adamant which his void magic can’t affect, which is similar to how you can’t use magic on a living creature because the soul barrier protects it from being directly affected, and if both the soul barrier and Adamant are both created by soul magic as a combination of the six primordial elements, this parity would make sense.
There’s a couple reasons I believe you’re wrong. There’s no such thing as soul matter, unlike the phyisical substance of the normal six and Void. Also, Kendal does have a soul, since it stopped Alinua from fully healing him after the Tynan fight.
Also we saw Kendal’s soul in his body in 1.8.8 and Beast. Red has directly stated his soul is his own and distinct from Vash’s
Why wouldn’t there be any soul matter? I’d think the giant blue blob of Vash in the collector’s laboratory is made of soul matter. She appears to be studying it quite physically.
It is not physical, it is energy she needs soul crystal to interact with and some special mystery orb to even hold in place
The ord IS the soul tho. Why else would it be on the chapter 18 cover or in Kendal’s dream in 1.19.35? Why would she need to keep the orb in place with these strange golden strings? She’s cutting filaments of his soul, which is physically there, in front of her.
You’re focusing too much on the word physical. The point is it does not corrupt, solidify or gather together like all other elemental energies even if it can be crudely manipulated with a special one of a kind material
Well, it does gather together, but it doesn’t move on its that much like elemntal energies do
You said it’s not physical, I wouldn’t know what else to focus on.
Just to be clear, I’m not saying it’s an element, as in made of a dead primordial’s body, I just meant to ask Stark why they thought there was no soul matter, when I think we’ve seen a materialized soul, i.e. made of soul-matter, on the page already.
Yes! I’ve had a sort of half-formed theory regarding the nature of LD, though I doubt I could have summarized it so concisely. I hadn’t thought about it as an aspect of soul magic, but the connection to adamantine seemed suspect, as well as the fact that white light contains every color.
in my headcanon currently, light magic represents breath (1-22-37), free will (1-7-21), and literal light (visually apparent), but *not* souls, as others have pointed out. it also likely governs biological healing and reproduction (extra lore > the seventh element), as those would be quite odd mechanisms to be governed by void.
if i am correct about this, this may suggest a mutualistic relationship between light and void in a typical mortal’s body; void to consume nutrients, and light to incorporate that which is consumed. that would certainly justify worshipping both dragons as the ancients once did (1-14-22). perhaps he’s not pure evil after all; a bit of yang in every yin.
Life is healing and reproduction as they are both examples of adaptation and survival on a smaller level
The dragon is evil, not because he’s made of something that can destroy anything, but because he will crush anything to achieve his goals, namely eating stars which are thinking beings in this world. And the breath associations seems more a Falst self-sacrifice thing, rather than a paladin dragon thing
All we know for sure is that the Lady “awoke the mortals’ wills”. Assumming, of course, that the Void Dragon is a reliable narrator. It’s possible that the Lady is more closely related to the mind, or sentience rather than the soul, although the difference is difficult to pin down.
But if the Void Dragon created Ancients, Elves, and Humans to control the elements, then he must have created them with the soul channels necessary to process elemental energy, so the Soul must have existed before the Lady intervened.
I find myself agreeing with your conclusions, but I dispute a few points of evidence. There was a theory posted recently that succinctly articulates the evidence for LD=Soul theory on the subreddit. It may interest you.
Hm…so, if there’s a little Void in every being the Twins made, maybe he’s targeting that for his attack?
Or maybe, just as there’s Void, there’s also some of the Light Dragon’s essence in every being the Twins made, which he can also use.
Which is kind of an interesting thing for Kendal, because then he wouldn’t be independent of just VD, but LD as well.
Not sure how the Paladins will respond to that.
Why would you think of him using the void in their bodies at all, rather than immediatly thinking of him just agitating the paladin element in their bodies already?
Things do not look good for our heroes. Stay tuned next week for more monologuing from the LD. She wants the crew to *understand* why she’s killing their friend, and this is great spot to slip in some exposition to tell us what Erin and the gang will be facing.
It seems only a Giant Distraction (Rakhn? Mermaids? Erin losing control of the storm?) can rescue them at this point.
It appears that Kendal has no LD in him either (as others have mentioned). I sense the yeetening approaches. Wonder if that (the absence of the Lady in Kendal) might shock Michael enough to get the upper hand.
I’m particularly struck by the beautiful details of the hands in the close-up shots…you can actually see each joint in Alinua’s graceful hands. It’s lovely (and hands are SUCH A PAIN). I am sort of confused why she’s not in the shot with Erin, when she was so close to him and it appears everyone just…fell over.
I’m also thinking that attacking multiple folks possessed with barely controlled powers (Dainix, Alinua, Erin) might not work out the way Michael hopes…
An excellent place to note that Dainix’s skin appears to be fracturing apart, letting sparks escape.
When Alinua is taken out, Life takes over?
It isn’t as if keeping Erin alive is very important to Life. If she understands what’s happening here, then she’ll probably be okay with the Lady executing Erin. He is the vessel of her sworn nemesis and killer.
Prior experience suggests yes. However, they’re on a metal ship (though it has a wooden deck) in the middle of an ocean. It’s not that Life would be helpless, but with the ocean floor miles away, and the only living matter being milled lumber and whatever seeds Alinua has on her…I don’t know how much Life could do besides heal.
Things to note (if you missed any)
1. Kendal is probably fine and capable of fighting
2. Alinua is missing (I think that might just be red forgetting or to make it clear who Michael is hunting tho)
3. Dainix may finally just go demon mode or do the partial transformation (with his arm and eye turning to fire but not much else)
4. Kinda a spoiler if you haven’t been following reds tumblr but there was a yeet doodle that showed Kendal yeeting someone with an arm brace (an arm brace that is very similar to Michael’s) so I think I know some of what happens next page
For those of you not following reds tumblr Alinua is fine and I’m pretty sure just moved over for the sake of the more dramatic panel.
Erin looks like a christian martyr in the last panel. Something about the halo + pose of one hand over stomach, one out to the side…
But nobody tell him, it’ll go straight to his head.
He fell in a similar position when he passed out from VD retreating the very first time, hand over his chest. I was thinking the halos gave crown-of-thorns vibes. Ouchy. Michael’s looks more like a crown of *horns*, though.
Interesting
Kendal has Starmetal in his Bones… is that what’s protecting him here?
AND IN COME KENDAL WITH THE STEEL CHAIR!
so the light dragon also has weird possession powers over the beings of this world??
…
guys?
Guys, are we sure the weird invasive dragon species is actually invasive? What if they’re like…the actual twin creator gods? from the beginning? Red did say no one has seen them in forever and I heard the evil dragon in the opening scene but I only SAW the twins…and the dragon seemed to be mad at someone else for fucking up his possession plan at the time….
also
KENDAL OH MY GOD KENDAL PLEASE KO A BITCH
Invasive dragon species? where did that come from? Also the Twins are gods and the dragons are primordials, so no
Don’t stop at K.O. Outright kill. They need to die, I’m convinced now.
Some of this is canon and some has just been implied but as far as I can tell both the Void Dragon and the Light Dragon are primordials who were alive before the creation of the planet and who in some way influenced the twins to create people, but are separate entities from them. I’m not sure if they directly created the twins or not, maybe it says that somewhere and I just forgot. I’m also curious as to what you mean by “invasive”? do you just mean “not from this planet”? in that case I think they are
I’m reminded of the Circlet of Subjugation from Journey To The West with this one.
I didn’t remember that tidbit from Journey to the West when I first read this, but yeah! I initially got the impression this attack targeted their freedom to act, like it interfered with their willpower or focus. Michael’s halo looks like a crown to me, which makes me think of ruling or control, and we know the Light Dragon has a connection to humans’ free will. I was thinking along the lines of it directly tampering with the brain’s ability to command the body and move, and the reactions on the page as shock and distress over that sudden lack of ability to think clearly or move as they normally would… but actually, given that they can still react naturally to the attack (raising their hands to clutch at their head, making faces of agony, etc.), brain pain as the mechanism for messing with will/focus/etc., as opposed to direct paralysis, makes more sense. And given how well Red knows Journey to the West, it wouldn’t be surprising if she drew inspiration from there.
Haven’t seen anyone else point this out- everyone’s pupils are glowing white 🤔
and here comes kendal with the steel chair
TL;DR: Magic seizure time!
… Kill the Light Dragon too. Kill them both. Kill them very very dead. I do not like this.
Please leave nothing but red mist, Kendal.
The light dragon is not here physically and Kendal does not kill people
They’re being hyperbolic 👍
Find a way to kill her anyway, I don’t even care who does it, but someone has to.
Snakesocket we have yet to be shown Kendal murdering someone but please note that red stated on her tumblr that if Kendal draws his sword it means he’s willing to kill. While he hasn’t drawn his sword yet please note that he immediately put his hand on the hilt when the paladin first showed up. I’m pretty sure Kendal is willing to kill he just hasn’t been pushed to do so just yet.
And starshadow Melody… the light dragon is morally questionable but I’m pretty sure jumping to she needs to die is not only preemptive but also would likely have some catastrophic draw backs.
kendal reaching for the sword when the paladin arrives might be more of a instinct thing than an he actually being willing to kill michael since in the next panels his hand is not in the handle tho
I considered that but I think that isn’t an act of instinct because it’s been mentioned several times on red’s tumblr how Kendal doesn’t waster any movement. He doesn’t shift weight from foot to foot, fidget at all or even breathe unless he has a particular reason to. Kendal doesn’t seem to have any kind of ingrained habits and seems to only move in intentional ways. I suspect the reason he didn’t draw his sword at the time was because he thought that there was a chance that the paladin could be reasoned with and at that time drawing his sword would not only indicate aggression but also means that he’s willing to kill despite a fair chance of a peaceful solution. Which I don’t think he would do.
HALO ATTACK!!!
… sun wukong curse?
Hmm, here’s a thought: While Alinua has a soul, she’s also the vessel for Life, who may or may not object to these events.
Soul magic does not exist
… considering a lot of this community feels soul magic could exist that is as if now a very much so an opinion. So consider not stating it as a fact solely to say another theory is false as that’s discouraging to people who are making theories. And while I’m somewhat doubtful of soul and light magic as one and the same there are many things that make it potentially possible. Or at least make the theory hold a fair bit of weight.
I do not care
Requesting that this not be the tone of argument moving forward. Being dismissive and know-it-all about other people’s takes is just bad vibes all around. I understand your opinion, and you have every right to think so, but there is no need to talk down to others. There is no need to exert that you have the one true answer, even if it does turn out that you’re right, if that involves being dismissive.
Aurora has so far been a very positive discussion space. And I get that as the community grows we’ll get more and more diverging opinions because that is how the internet works. But can we please at least keep the conversations civil? I know that attempts to improve discussion climate online are rarely successful, but it really would help.
Not criticising you or your theories, you are entitled to those. But so is everyone else, and equally entitled not to be talked down to.
Sincerely, a teenager who does not want the one space where I publish my poetry to turn unsafe
And if I’m misinterpreting or overreacting or something, please tell me! I’d honestly much rather be.
I don’t get why you feel the need to reply to this Ongoing
Oh and the time ghost just wasn’t actually talking with me and I got a bit angry
Did I not make my case clear? I don’t appreciate your being dismissive.
Is there any particular reason I shouldn’t have replied?
Can you explain what you mean by me not actually talking with you? I apologize if I came off as rude as I simply found your response to be in poor taste. I know that if I made a theory and someone was immediately dismissive of it I would find that very discouraging so I decided to see if I could do something about it.
Yes, I was pleasantly surprised to independently formulate this theory, then read the comments on these comics and find others with very similar thoughts. A very pleasant experience of community.
What else do you call the magic by which the collector bound Vash’s soul to a dagger, or Tahraim that of Tynan? Or the magic by which the Void Dragon forged a soul link between his and Erin’s souls? Heck, the process by which a mortal’s awareness of a location and/or phenomenon may grant it a soul?
Maybe not as elemental magic, but some kid of soul magic, whether by that name or another, does exist in this world.
It is not magic as defined in this world, no manipulating primordial matter and energy. They are just putting people in knives and need special tools to even interact with them further afterwards
Guess what’s on those knives. Words! Written in the language used for magic. In other words, this is likely just a different way of interacting with magic. And also soul energy is nigh guaranteed to have a primordial involved because it interacts with the other primordials as if it’s equal in power. Even if it’s not one and the same as paladin magic it almost certainly has a primordial ruling over it and constitutes as magic and so far there has simply been no mages of it which is why tools are used to interact with it. There simply has yet to be a mage capable of it.
I believe the extra lore pages call some of these effects “name-magic”, so you might be wrong about how magic is defined in this world.
Oh I forgot about name-magic
To @A time traveling ghost, I don’t even know anymore and to ongoing, I’ve run out of replies for this
K. But also are you going to consider not being immediately dismissive of people’s theories or just continue as you have been?
Ah, yes. Mind control. Very heroic, paladin guy.
Yet another reason to outright side with the Void Dragon over the Light Dragon, and just hope we can deal with him later. If not, at least we aren’t at risk of being mind controlled.
Please consider that it’s potentially quite rude to say that what is essentially a tool is unheroic especially when this is not mind control. This spell seems to be causing pain but the characters all seem in complete control of their actions except for the fact that they’re feeling immense amounts of pain which seems to be the only thing influencing their actions. As such it’s not mind control as that involves controlling someone’s actions.
To further prove my point mind control is not inherently evil. To use an analogy to get my point across can a gun be evil? No because if you just told me yes please explain how a non sentient thing can be held morally accountable for its actions when quite literally another being is the one controlling all of its actions. Mind controlling is a tool and about as morally accountable as the gun. Yes mind controlling is often associated with bad things but if I doubt you’d be saying Kendal is unheroic if he used mind controlling (I’m aware he can’t I’m saying if he somehow could like via some tool) to save one of the squad from an antagonist. Now say what you want about the paladin but please don’t say something is unheroic and as such imply it as bad for the crime of existing.
I only just remembered this little fun fact but did you know that what the void dragon does to Erin can be called mind control?
people want the L.D and the paladins to be “evil corrupt light church” so bad its impressive, even if the floof squad can contain erin and the valter not even erin knows if the monks can help with his situation and we saw erin getting taken over/getting close to it multiple times, killing him is perfectly reasonable in this scenario especially from an outsider(like the paladins)’s perspective
I agree with you that this doesn’t seem to be mind control, but rather some kind of more general psychich attack.
However, to your point on inherent morality: I agree that no inanimate object can be held morally accountable for what people choose to do with it. But some things are so inexcusable, that any usage of said inanimate object immediately condemns the user. For example, a nuclear bomb is not evil. But any person willingly and knowingly using a nuclear bomb is, because the death of millions will be on their hands. In my opinion, any person willingly using mind control has done something so very invasive that I’d say the method makes them evil. Naturally all cases are different and the person might be very right to use mind control, and the concept of mind control isn’t inherently moral, but any use would at least open up some morally grey options I think. But since this is an ethical question, there are no right and wrong answers. This is just my take.
So if Michael here was using mind control, he’d at least showcase some willingness to cross boundaries of free will and bodily integrity. Which in turn is definitely not heroic.
Your absolutely right in that some things when used just have an automatic bad effect that in a way immediately makes anyone who uses that to some degree morally wrong. You’re also correct that mind control does fall under that umbrella of: if used you kinda automatically are in the moral wrong.
I just personally have some troubles with remembering that, yes suddenly being able to understand/look into something very private and personal can be very morally wrong and I think that’s because stories just make that something you are literally constantly doing to the characters. That and the fact that unless some things are explicitly pointed out I tend to just forget or ignore it. Though there are situations where mind control could be the morally correct option but that depends on variables such as the flavor of mind control, who’s it’s being used on, if their we’re alternate solutions, etc, etc. so in general totally agree with your point though it does vary a bit depending on the situation.
I’d argue this is no worse morally than tying them up. He’s not forcing them to do things, just preventing them from doing anything.
He will try to kill everyone in the team and blow up the planet at a any opportunity
There is no Dragon inside of Kendal.
There once was a dragon of light
Who, through her paladins, might
Give halos to those
Who aren’t quite foes
But still need to be out of the fight.
Uh, Light paladin, please consider that casting a migraine spell on this particular party might result in 1) an imminently imploding Crucible on a very flammable ship deck; 2) Life herself busting down the door to give you a smack on the head for messing with the lens of her microscope; 3) getting clawed by a ferin who, yes, might be used to curling up and hoping the source of his sensory overload will go away eventually (because Falst’s migraine pose looks a lot like mine when the world is too much), but might also be accustomed to killing the source of overload out of desperation; 4) Voidy finally having enough and fighting for the driver’s seat; 5) Kendal, as in the sword, swinging right for your neck, because there is a curious lack of blond demigod writhing in pain on this page.
Tldr: my dude, you’ve been flashbanged, ice-blasted into a mast, tackled by a ferin, and punched in the diaphragm by the humanoid equivalent of a steel i-beam. Quit while you’re ahead.
My bet is that the ocean finally capsizes the boat, also in the last panel. Where is Ailuna and Kendal? They should be visible based on the previous panels. Also this reminds me a lot of that one mental attack from the tower wizard in the 1st castlevania show.
alinua got removed from the panel for scene composition according to red on tumblr…something that she seemed to regret
omggg
Hang on one second! That looks a lot like the white/blue stuff that snapped the first humans out of the dragon’s control in the second page of this comic. If the Dragon is physiological need, perhaps the Lady of the Moon was what provided free thought. Matter and mind, respectively. It would explain how she has a backdoor to all of their psyches in the same way as the Dragon can effect their physical forms, and why it doesn’t seem like Kendal’s being effected as someone who wasn’t constructed in the same manner as the others.
Voidy specifically said “my other awakened the mortals’ wills”, so yeah it seems like that was almost definitely the light dragon
Fire’s about to break loose.
Everyone is talking about Kendal… but where is Ali in the last frame??
Fights looking pretty bleak. Here’s hoping Red’s new Trope Talk isn’t foreshadowing anything
Who do you think is most likely to heroically sacrifice their life?
not me crying over here, over the countless time Kendal has done just that
the boat
Michael: just another glort.