Theory of the Shadow [SPOILERS.]

[Airyll]

Spoilers. Lots of spoilers. The mother of all spoiler threads, perhaps.

And I say this now because I'm hoping that, with this sort of warning, you aren't going to carry on reading this thread if you don't want things spoiled. Otherwise every single post in this thread is probably going to end up in spoiler tags and that would look very silly.

But to be on the safe side... spoiler tags, go.

Spoiler below!

So, a question a lot of people seem to be asking is with regards to one particular ending in which Daniel survives and remains in the mortal world quite alive, not taken by the Shadow. Now I've actually put a lot of thought into this and the conclusion I came to was one I feel satisfied the ending as well as several aspects of the game and story at the same time.

Before I continue, please remember this is just a theory I personally came up with, and nobody's theory can be concluded right or wrong unless the developers themselves come and tell us. =) Friendly discussion, folks, let's share ghost stories.

Now then! Onto business. Earlier in the game I recall a journal entry that described the Orb's guardian and suggested that the guardian was, in fact, a form of deity. Described as "Mother of Us All" I quickly disregarded the theory because the Shadow seemed volatile and cruel in nature, killing anybody who came in contact with Daniel and nothing more than a destructive force of nature.

But the more I thought about it, and continue to think about it, the more I actually consider this suggestion to be quite true. The Orbs are clearly exceptionally powerful and it would make sense if, instead of multiple guardians to do what we can assume to be exactly the same thing, they were all guarded by a single all-powerful being. Of course, we see little reference to other Orbs in the game with regards to their guardians, so this much is pure speculation.

The Shadow is relentless in it's pursuit of Daniel, which is both documented in journals and throughout gameplay. It kills anybody Daniel comes into specific contact with with regards to the Orb, whether they knew anything about what it was or not. This seems almost too cruel, as many of these people were completely innocent and not guilty of any crime aside from half-associating with the thief of the Orb, but then again if you read into gods and deities people believe in today, they are not all kind and loving. They punish their people for disobeying the law laid down, even if we would otherwise presume these people innocent. Thus, is it really so far-fetched that a deity being trying to reclaim and exceptionally powerful (and certainly diabolical in the wrong hands) artefact would kill any who associated with the Orb and it's keeper? After all, if they found out the secrets of the Orb themselves, they would pose just as much a threat, possibly searching for other Orbs or trying to learn how to harness the power of one already discovered.

The Shadow will kill Daniel in all but one ending (including the secret ending you can achieve by simply remaining in the prison cell for the Shadow to eventually kill you.) In this ending, Alexander is killed instead, and the Shadow is not absent from the castle either during this ending. Daniel is allowed to live, and it is no mere mistake. I also thoroughly believe Daniel continues to live out the rest of his life without being hunted by the Shadow and I don't believe he is later killed.

Now my reasoning for this is simple, and continues with the theory that the Shadow is in fact some ancient deity. Daniel's journey focuses around regret and remorse for everything he did and everything he became while under Alexander's influence. He alone is sensitive enough to the orb that he suffers continual nightmares, whereas Alexander is clearly find and feels non the worse. He is also the only person in the castle able to repair the Orb, which Alexander clearly cannot do and would suggest that the Orb's repairing had a great deal to do with perception and sensitivity to the madness produced by the Orb's power.

Daniel is chased and hunted by the servants throughout the game. This is confusing when you consider the fact they are under Alexander's command and Daniel is not an immediate threat to Alexander; in fact he is somewhat of a blessing in disguise to the Baron. Only later in the game does Alexander truly command the servants to kill Daniel, so why were they after him before? Surely they would have recognised him as somebody who worked with Alexander and had a higher rank, if you will? Welps, I came to the conclusion that Alexander made these monsters through the torture of other human beings. Perhaps their mutilated corpses are the remains of people Daniel and Alexander killed? I don't know, but I assume they have some connection to the numerous people Daniel tortured and murdered during his time at the castle, because it would explain why they would be so quick to kill him if they find him. They don't just see him as an intruder but whatever remains of the tortured souls that helped make them recognises Daniel as the reason for their torment, which is motive enough to kill him whether they have orders to or not.

This is important, as I feel it ties in with the ending where Daniel is allowed to live. By killing Alexander and presumably destroying one of the greatest threats to the Orbs that has been in existence yet, Daniel has redeemed his actions. He went from a torturer and a murderer of innocents to being the tortured, constantly plagued by madness. He went from being a monster to those he killed to being chased and tormented by what I presume to be the very same. The tables were turned on him completely and he went from one polar opposite to the other in a very short space of time.

After this ordeal it is safe to assume Daniel is smart enough to never touch an Orb again. The Shadow, as a guardian deity not completely unjust, recognises that through his actions Daniel has both learned that the Orbs are not to be fooled with, and has redeemed himself from the crimes he had committed while trying to keep the Shadow itself at bay. It would make sense that the Shadow leaves Daniel alive to remember what happened in that castle in Prussia, a living legacy as to the sheer greed and madness the Orbs can bring about if one delves too deep into their power. The destruction, the death, the utter insufferable nightmare of guilt and remorse.

And honestly, think about it, if you were the Shadow in that ending, would you have killed Daniel? What are the chances that man ever slept soundly again, regardless of how redeemed he may have been, after what he had been through? There's every possibility that Daniel kills himself after he leaves the castle, unable to cope with what he's learned and done and seen.

And that's my theory on both what the Shadow is and why it allows Daniel to live. =3 Long, isn't it?