#btw I have no idea what happens if you choose to trap Dorius in the torture device

[atlasira]

I LOVE how obvious it is Dorius wants you to find him in Chapter 5. His actions contradict everything he says.

I don’t think he’s made up his mind whether he’ll truly try to force Bright to stay or let her go. He has no idea what to do. He’s panicking to extreme levels, and this is felt in how chaotic his words and actions come off.

You can show him the sigils Raze revealed to you. At the time, Dorius tells you to never use them. Regardless, he knows you know them. And after allying with Ari, he knows you know a witch who can activate portals. He knows these things. You can also choose to not conceal the amulet, so he can see everything you’re doing. He can see when you enter in the sigils and activate the portal to his lair.

And yet he does nothing when you get there. Not only that, but Bright’s heart is restored immediately upon arrival. He claims it was a mistake.

He says he didn’t expect Bright to seek him out, but he never took any precautions to ensure it. He didn’t have to tell us when he stole Bright’s heart. He could’ve killed Ari then and there, and instantly teleported Bright to his lair to keep her there forever. She’d have no way to escape. He did neither of these things, instead exposing his actions and leaving Ari and Bright free and unscathed.

The door to Raze’s prison room was unlocked and easily opened. Dorius says he did not want you to see the child, but again he took no precautions to make sure that didn’t happen. No wards, no magic, no anything. He simply stands in the room, at the scene of the crime ready to confess.

Afterwards, he kidnaps Ari and flees. It feels like an emergency, but no matter how long you take to get there, you’re still able to find them at the end of that hall, waiting. Not only that, but this is Dorius’ domain. He had to have known that room was a dead end. He knew there would be nowhere to go. He claims it was unintentional, and yet he stood there waiting for you.

Dorius is unhinged at this point of the story. Ari was right in that once he got Bright’s heart, he had no need to lie anymore. But I don’t think he actually wanted to control Bright, not like Rivera and Brash. No, he wanted her loyalty. Due to his past, his believes the two to be synonymous, but they are not and a small part of him is aware of that. This is reflected in how contradictory he behaves.

What I’m trying to say is: I believe Dorius subconsciously wanted a confrontation with Bright. He wanted to be chased after, exposed, questioned, and fought. He claims to already know Bright either hates him or will hate him, but I don’t think he genuinely knows whether either are true. And so he is desperate for a confrontation to see what she’ll do. Who, in the end, she will choose. Him or Raze.

Because there is also no way Bright could’ve truly won that fight against him. Not only did she need to use her speed which she was still an amateur at, but they were in his lair!! He has not only the home field advantage, but also the upper hand in experience and power. There is zero way Bright could’ve actually won against him, except if he allowed her to.

And once she has him on the ground, it’s even described that he concedes, waiting and watching to see what the conclusion of their relationship will come to.

This entire series of events is a clash of selfishness and selflessness.

It is selfless because, subconsciously, Dorius wants Bright to know the truth. He wants to be seen for who he is and what he’s done. He loses his mind terrified of what will happen when she finds out, but he allows her to see it all anyway.

It is selfish because, despite the horror of his actions, he wants her to choose him anyway. He wants Raze’s promised life and he wants Bright. He displays Orchid’s gifts, that she left for the real Raze, on a precious alter. After everything is said and done, he chooses to still claim Raze’s name for his own.

He wants to be Raze and he wants everything that was promised to Raze, but at the same time he wants to know if “Dorius” is worthy of being Raze. This why he allows Bright to learn the truth, but still puts back on the mask if you do end up choosing him.

Because they both know he is not Raze, but Bright, who he has chosen to be his judge, jury, and executioner, has found him worthy of Raze’s life, so it’s fine. Everything that’s happened up to this point is fine. His own mother’s death, his experimentation as a child, murdering Orchid, the screams of the young boy in his living room. It’s all fine because he’s Raze and that’s all that matters.