Fate of the Sun King

The arks, magical objects created by King Herric to shore up his own ambition, are symbols throughout the narrative of Power as a Corrupting Force. Unlike the Artefacts, which are tied to the natural magic of Ouranos, Herric created the arks from a dark material called virulence with the express purpose of destroying the goddess Zerra. Their very existence evidences a foundational betrayal and a lust for control that echoes through the generations. The story’s central antagonists, Cloris and King Rion, are both obsessed with finding the arks, believing them to be the ultimate key to amplifying magic and bending the world to their will. 

Cloris’s goal, which she frames as a divine quest, is built on obtaining the Ark of Heart, a mission for which she orchestrates 12 years of suffering for Lor and her family. Cloris explains the arks’ function, stating, “Each Artefact has a corresponding ark… And their magic is bound together” (385). This symbiotic relationship suggests that power and its antithesis are inextricably linked. When the Mirror bestows the Ark of Heart upon Lor, it unlocks her magic, indicating that the arks are powerful tools whose nature is determined by the wielder, challenging the idea that certain forms of power are intrinsically corrupt.