The Dark One

[TheDecline01]

Ok, we finally arrive at the closure of the series, and the Dark One has always acted indirectly, never showing itself (for good reasons since it is NOT in this world). But it's Tarmon Gaidon, the end, it's ITS battle. What will it be doing then?

 

Do you think we'll "see" it take a part of it? Or it taking a part of it means the Dark One free and the battle lost?

Will we finally get a picture of all its dark plans?

Will it go head to head with the Light (Rand)?

Anything else?

Will it even be a part of A Memory of Light?

 

I really wonder, because... I just can't picture the Dark One in battle per se. It is not of this world, it can dominate it throught its presence, but it is not physical (at last, I hope so). Will it talk or do any action?

 

Ah! Projections!

[Guest]

Ok, we finally arrive at the closure of the series, and the Dark One has always acted indirectly, never showing itself (for good reasons since it is NOT in this world). But it's Tarmon Gaidon, the end, it's ITS battle. What will it be doing then?

 

Do you think we'll "see" it take a part of it? Or it taking a part of it means the Dark One free and the battle lost?

Will we finally get a picture of all its dark plans?

Will it go head to head with the Light (Rand)?

Anything else?

Will it even be a part of A Memory of Light?

 

I really wonder, because... I just can't picture the Dark One in battle per se. It is not of this world, it can dominate it throught its presence, but it is not physical (at last, I hope so). Will it talk or do any action?

 

Ah! Projections!

 

Remember that Shaidar Haran is percieved as the dark ones Avatar in this world, we may see him weild some nasty powers in favor of the shadow. When Rand breaks the seals, shaidar haran may experience increased powers until it can be subdued. I picture shaidar harans powers now are what little the dark one can funnel through the cracks in his prison. During the time Rand destroys seals and faces the dark one, there will be nothing preventing him from powering shaidar haran even further. I have a feeling Mah'alleinir may have a part to play in the dismantling of Shaidar Haran.

[OptimusPrime]

Heh. Got a bit of a theory on this.

 

Moridin plans to have the Dark One possess him at the end for the fight with Rand, the possession being possible because Moridin can use the True Power-possession is the Dark Ones endgame reason for granting people access (however, nobody but Moridin has been "stupid" enough to use the True Power much, so the Dark One withdrew the privalage from the others... until recently)

 

However, Rand will lead his own covert strike at Shayol Ghul, taking Callandor with him, together with Narishma, Alivia and Nynaeve. He will plan to have the Dark One possess himself, cutting Moridin out of the process... for now. Rand breaks the Seals on the black slopes, channels the True Power. Enter Randzamon, the Dark One in Rands body.

 

Randzamon channels a True Power sword and dances the blades with Narishma, while throwing a... wait for it... TEMPEST of lethal weaves at Alivia and Nynaeve.

 

Narishma cant land a blow, and it looks bad. Deep within some corner of his mind, a tiny awareness that is still Rand can sense frustration in the Dark One... but also irritation, somehow knowing the two are seperate. The fight rages on, Narishma taking wounds. It looks very bad indeed.

 

Suddenly Rand feels something nick him in the back, and the True Power scouring his soul flinches. Fain is there, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, and he proceeds to backstab Randzamon repeatedly, weakening the Dark Ones hold on the flesh. For just an instant Rand regains control over the body, holds his hands out wide and screams in the booming voice of the Dark One "NARISHMAAAAAAAA!" and then Narishma leaps at him with Callandor extended, driving it through Rands heart-and Fain at the same time-and Alivia severs the Dark Ones connection to the rest of him, as per Shaidars thoughts.

 

And just before Narishma lands that blow we get another snippet of Rand, where he thinks of how proud he is of these three. And at the last instant, he realizes Nynaeve has been screaming her head off the whole time-which was the cause of the Dark Ones irritation-causing Rand to die with a smile on his face...

 

BUT... just as Rand is about to Sheathe The Sword That Is Not A Sword, at the very last instant he moves a hairswidth, and touches Moridin, and they swap bodies... To live, [Moridin] must die, Rands blood on the rocks freed men from the Shadow.

 

Moridin: Hey Rand. I used my False Dragon. When are you going to use yours?

Rand: Never! Im going to use yours, seeing as hes already dead and all that.

[MarkDiLillo]

The DO will never be free and take much direct action in the world outside of using Shaidar Haran. He's not some bad guy evil man with powers...he is a god. The moment he is free he will destroy time and the world instantly.

 

I don't think we have enough information yet to predict the ending. We all have a rough idea of what's going to happen, but I have a feeling that there is a lot of important stuff that will be explained in the next book in order for the ending to come to fruition. All we know for sure is that Rand will die somehow and live again in some fashion, and Callandor will be at the last battle.

 

I am expecting the following:

 

- This really is the final battle. The DO will be shut out or destroyed forever at the end of this book and the wheel of time will turn without him infringing from now on.

- Fain will play a key role in neutralizing/destroying/imprisoning the DO. Pretty obvious.

- We will find out a lot more about Moridin. There is more to him than meets the eye. He may have been the original Dragon who lost hope and turned to the shadow?

- Graendal is now bound to Moridin in the same way that Lanfear/Moghedien are. (Moridin is clearly setup as the opposite of Rand...Rand has 3 women who love him...Moridin has 3 chained who hate him)

- Min is toast. Welcome to the fight, Demandred.

- Perrin is going to save Rand and do something awesome, but might die. This could be where Demandred makes his mark instead...

- Something awesome will happen relating to Rand, Mat, and Perrin together. The whole "all three must live" thing will come to a climax.

- Mat is going to do something really important, heroic, and unexpected to solve the Seanchan problem and finalize his role.

- Moiraine clearly has an important role left to play. I suspect her role and importance will relate to Mierin and her return to the light though.

- Mierin/Lanfear will return to the light in some fashion and play a key role in the end of the series - likely relating to her knowledge of the bore.

[TheDecline01]

Mmmmh, I like the idea of the Dark One possessing Rand's body through the True Power, and I like even more the fact of Rand dying in the process of preventing the Dark One from actually touching the world. That solves elegantly the problem of impersonating the Dark One in the real world wihtout having to get it for real. And that opens the way to removing the Dark One from Randland.

 

However I'm not a fan of the Dark One "dying". It's just like the Creator dying, kind of a nonsense. It may be locked away from the world forever or banished in some way that has never been done before, but it can't disappear. The yin yang stuff that balances Randland would be destroyed. Destroying the Dark One is destroying the pattern to me.

[OptimusPrime]

One thing I think people misunderatand is that the Dark One coming into the world is NOT him breaking free. The world IS the Pattern-everything has a thread, even a blade of grass. The Dark One is in a prison cell, and the world aka the Pattern is the prison block. To get out the Dark One has to destroy the prison block/Pattern. So him entering someone elses body is NOT him breaking free. If a con escapes from his cell, is he free? Not yet. The entire worlds destruction is him breaking free.

 

Also I dont think the Dark One would possess Rand with all of himself, just as much as Rand could pull into him. Then Rand dies with that chunk in him, at the same time Alivia severs the connection between "Randzamon" and the rest of the Dark One, which means the True Power cant return to its source like the Power does... ie the Dark One is severely weakened. The kind of weakened that takes til the next Eye of the World phase for him to touch the Pattern again (assuming someone drilled a new Bore and all that)