Jackson Cade… The righteous man in a sea of filth. You remind me of a story—a quaint little parable that might shed some light on your predicament, though I doubt you’ll appreciate the lesson, little owl.
There was once a candle, burning brightly in the darkest of nights. It stood alone on a weathered windowsill, casting its warm glow into a world shrouded in shadow. The candle prided itself on its light, believing that it was a beacon of hope, a guardian against the encroaching darkness. Its flame flickered defiantly, refusing to be extinguished.
But one night, a moth appeared. Its wings were tattered, its eyes wide and desperate. It had wandered the world of shadows for so long that it had forgotten what warmth felt like. And there, in the distance, it saw the candle’s light—pure, steadfast, and unyielding. The moth, drawn by the allure of that flame, felt a pull it could not resist.
“You can’t save them,” the candle warned. “You’ll only destroy yourself.”
The moth, blinded by its desire for the light, ignored the candle’s words. It believed that in reaching the flame, it would find salvation, a purpose. So, it flew closer, wings beating against the still air, until it was near enough to feel the heat on its fragile body.
But in its eagerness, it forgot a simple truth: the light it sought was the very thing that would burn it alive. With a final, desperate lunge, the moth embraced the flame—and in an instant, it was consumed. The candle flickered, wavered, then continued to burn, as it always had. The darkness around it remained, unchanged, indifferent.
Don’t you see, little Owl? I’m the candle that burns brightly in the darkness of Arcadia. Everything evil surrounds me; everything dark. Your mother’s pain and your fathers torment, they live within your heart, mind and soul. You fly towards me because you believe that you can defeat the candle and bring light to Arcadia… to them.
But that’s not how this works, little Owl. When the Midnight hour comes and the darkness strikes fear into your heart, and you fly towards the brightest source of light that you can see, you won’t find the salvation you seek. By putting me in the ground at Bad Blood, you’ll fail to find that salvation.
Unfortunately, for any moth that attempts to approach this candle, there’s only one eventual outcome.
And that’s that I consume you.
When I do, the darkness that terrifies you will still remain. You won’t be here to see the remnants of it, but it’ll be there in all its glory. The only way to become one with the candle, Jackson, is to join me. Stand beside me, stand near me and be safe in the glow of The Midnight Owl.
Come on, it’ll be a hoot.