Musings on Dark Souls and the Emergence of a New Grey Age
Fire and Dark in Dark Souls, were never meant to last forever—instead, they are forces of change and evolution that will push the world into a new Age of Grey.
Fire, Dark, and the Emergence of a New Grey in Dark Souls
In the Dark Souls universe, the forces of fire and dark play an integral role in shaping the world. Fire represents light, warmth, and life, while the dark is symbolic of shadow, cold, and death—these opposing forces ignite the cycles of change, pushing the world through periods of struggle, decay, and renewal. But as the cycles continue, it raises the question: Is there an end to this constant flux? And if so, what form might the world take?
Balance, Not Stagnation
The Age of Ancients, a time of stillness and grey, was the world’s primordial state. The Everlasting Dragons ruled over this unchanging landscape until the First Flame appeared, bringing with it the division between light and dark. From this moment, the world was set on a path of constant transformation. If the world were ever to return to a grey state, it wouldn’t be a mere restoration of the past. Instead, it would represent a synthesis of fire and dark, a balance where the two forces exist in harmony rather than in conflict. This new grey wouldn’t be a return to stagnation but a dynamic equilibrium, one that incorporates the lessons learned from the cycles of light and dark.
Catalysts for Change
Fire and dark were never meant to last forever; they are forces that emerged to catalyse the world’s evolution, breaking the stillness of the Age of Ancients and allowing new possibilities to arise. Fire brought life and death, light and shadow, while the dark would bind the dominion of the flame to a state of finitism, pushing the world toward its inevitable end. However, both fire and dark are temporary forces; they are engines of transformation rather than permanence, designed to propel the world forward until a new balance is reached.
The struggle between fire and dark, while a source of conflict, is necessary to move the world through cycles of growth, decay, and renewal. In this context, the cycles of fire and dark are not meaningless; rather, they represent the world’s natural progression, a constant push toward balance and harmony. While the gods, in their arrogance, sought to halt these cycles, they were only delaying the inevitable. The cycles may bring suffering and hardship, but they also offer renewal—and the potential for something new to emerge. Thus, a return to a grey state would not be a regression to the past; it would be the culmination of the world’s evolution, as this new grey would reflect a higher state of equilibrium, where fire and dark are no longer in opposition but integrated into a unified whole.
The gods, in their desire to preserve the Age of Fire, misunderstood this. They believed that their dominion over the world could last forever, but in reality, they were merely delaying the world’s natural progression. The cycle must play out, but it does so to create something greater: a new age where the lessons of fire and dark have been absorbed, and the world can exist in balance. This new grey, this new age of harmony, is not a return to the past but a movement forward into something entirely new.
Timelessness Redefined
In the Age of Ancients, the world’s timelessness was defined by stagnation. However, in this new age of grey, timelessness is reimagined, redefined by the cycles of fire and dark that came before. Rather than existing in a state of inertia, the new grey exists in a state of dynamic balance—although aspects of fire and dark would still be present, change would no longer be driven by conflict but by harmony as the two found purpose through their shared coexistence as part of the unified whole, creating a world not of stasis, but of ever-evolving potential, where the cycles of the past give way to something greater than the gods of the Age of Fire or the humans of the Age of Dark could have imagined.
Humanity’s Role in a New Grey Age
In the Dark Souls universe, humans are closely tied to the Dark Soul, which represents their connection to the Age of Dark, and by extension, their connection to change, imperfection, and mortality. But if the cycles of light and dark were to end, and the world returned to a new form of grey, humanity would also undergo a profound transformation.
Humans could evolve beyond their current form, transcending the limitations of life, death, and hollowing. In a balanced grey world, humanity would no longer be bound by the cycles of decay and renewal that have defined their existence thus far; instead, the way would be opened for humanity to achieve a state of eternal existence, similar to the primordial beings of the Age of Ancients. Unlike the Everlasting Dragons, however, humanity would not be creatures of stagnation—rather they would exist in a state of dynamic equilibrium, embodying both light and dark in equal measure.
I am personally drawn to this idea of humanity transcending the limits placed upon them by the Dark Soul and the curses of undeath imposed upon them by the gods in prehistory, but it is not the only one that makes sense.
An alternative vision of this new grey world would see humanity returned to a more primordial state, one that existed before the influence of the Dark Soul and the First Flame; losing their individuality and becoming more integrated with the natural world, existing in harmony with the balance of fire and dark—although this would not be a regression to the stillness of the Age of Ancients, but rather a state of peaceful coexistence, where humans are part of the world rather than separate from it. However, I still do not prefer this idea as much.
I very much favour the vision of this new world, where humans transcend into something beyond, harnessing the creativity and ambition of the Age of Fire without being consumed by its need to burn and fade while, at the same time, drawing strength from the dark without being overwhelmed by the despair and hollowness that often accompany it. In this state, humans would be balanced beings, representing the culmination of the cycles and the embodiment of a new, harmonious world.
The Fate of the Gods in a Grey Age
In Dark Souls, the gods' power is directly tied to the First Flame, the force that created light, heat, and the division between life and death. Gwyn, Lord of Cinder, and the other gods of his pantheon derived their strength from the flame, and they sought to preserve its existence, fearing what would come in the Age of Dark. This fear is real enough, as without the First Flame, the gods would no longer be able to sustain themselves as they once were; they would gradually lose their immortality and divine strength, becoming weakened or even fading from existence—much like the fading embers of the fire itself. They would no longer possess the power to rule over the world or influence its direction, and their reign, tied to the Age of Fire, would come to a final end. But, blinded by their hubris and pride, what Gwyn and the other gods failed to recognise was that although they would fade from the world, their power and glory would not be forgotten; they would be absorbed back into the fabric of the universe.
In a state of balance between light and dark, although their individual existences cease to matter, they would, as a whole, be integrated into the world itself. While it is true that this would mean the end of their identities as gods, it would not necessarily entail annihilation. Instead, they could become part of the unified whole, their essence dissolving into the natural forces of the world they once tried to control.
I very much favour this idea over other possibilities, such as outright extinction or obsolescence. The idea that the gods would no longer exist as distinct entities with will and agency, but that their presence would still remain in the form of the energy they once embodied—not completely vanishing but becoming part of the fire and warmth that exists in balance with the dark—and in a very real sense, though not in the way they once believed themselves to be, the gods would be immortal; immortal as aspects of the world rather than as conscious rulers, is very appealing to me as it provides a level of circular closure that feels satisfying.
Conclusion: A New World of Balance
The cycles of fire and dark in the Dark Souls universe are not simply relics of a bygone era; they serve a greater purpose in guiding the world toward a new grey age. This emerging state of balance signifies the culmination of all past struggles and transformations, offering a vision of harmony where light and dark coexist as integral components of existence.
The implications of this new grey age extend far beyond the confines of the game world. They challenge us to reflect on our own lives, urging us to embrace the dualities we encounter—joy and sorrow, light and shadow—as vital aspects of the human experience. Just as the gods must yield to a greater balance, so too must we recognise the importance of integration and coexistence in our lives. This new grey age invites us to transcend our limitations, encouraging us to harness the creativity and ambition of our experiences without being consumed by their transient nature. It is a call to acknowledge the beauty in impermanence, to understand that our struggles can lead to growth, and to envision a future where our collective potential can flourish in harmony.
As we strive for this new world of balance, both in the realms of Dark Souls and in our own lives, let us carry forward the lessons learned from the fires of our past. Only then can we hope to forge a reality where light and dark are not adversaries, but partners in the journey toward a more profound and lasting equilibrium. In this vision lies the promise of a truly new age—an age defined by the strength of our shared humanity, unbound by the constraints of light and dark, and guided by the wisdom of a new grey.
Get Dark Souls Now!
If you want to buy Dark Souls, then you can get the Remastered version of game from the UK PlayStation Store or the US PlayStation Store. Alternatively, you can use the links below to get it from the XBOX store for both UK and US gamers.
Dark Souls: Remastered (UK)
Get Dark Souls: Remastered for a UK audience from the XBOX Marketplace
Dark Souls: Remastered (US)
Get Dark Souls: Remastered for a US audience from the XBOX Marketplace.