In In the Wake of the Ruined, Kalie Cassidy argues that the pursuit of absolute power—whether magical, political, or divine—is an inherently corrupting process that physically and morally degrades the wielder. To amass and maintain great might, characters must consume the lives and loyalties of others, eventually becoming monstrous shadows of their former selves. This decay signifies a moral failing as well as incurring a physical transformation, as seen in the ruined bodies of the novel’s most powerful figures, Eusia and the Dellen Mage Seer. The narrative consistently portrays unchecked ambition as a devouring sickness that demands a price in blood, flesh, and humanity.

The most extreme example of this corruption is Eusia, the ancient First Mage. Her centuries-long quest for power has left her physically grotesque and emotionally hollowed, entirely dependent on the lives of others for her survival. Once a Siren, she has become a shrunken, monstrous creature with “unblinking round eyes” and “gill-like slits” ringing her throat (387). This physical ruin mirrors her moral decay. Eusia sustains herself by consuming the divinity of her sister Ligea, a process that leaves Ligea’s body a lifeless husk at the bottom of a pool. Eusia’s power requires constant feeding, whether through the life force of victims like Agatha, who is used as a living battery, or through blood offerings from her supplicants. She admits that magic has replaced all other human needs, stating she has no desire for “a home, or a whole body, or a lover when magic has become all of that to me and more” (115). Her existence demonstrates the novel’s core argument that ultimate power cannot be attained as it creates a state of perpetual, insatiable consumption.

This corrupting influence extends to the political leaders who align themselves with dark magic. Empress Nivala and Marshal Aleka Baros both sacrifice their loyalties for a taste of Eusia’s power. A vision reveals that Nivala, in her desperation to secure a divine heir for Eusia, callously sacrificed her husband and was willing to offer her infant daughter, Halla, as sustenance. Similarly, Aleka, who served the Varian crown with integrity for decades, betrays Theodore without hesitation, believing Eusia shows a truer, more earned form of might. Her devotion culminates in her attempt to physically dismember Imogen by carving off her wings to “prepare” her as a vessel for Eusia. For both Nivala and Aleka, proximity to immense power justifies the betrayal of family, country, and all moral principles, transforming them into willing instruments of Eusia’s cruelty.

Even the protagonist, Imogen, is not immune to magic’s corrupting toll. While her use of spells is often necessary for survival, it exacts a severe physical and psychological price, tempting her with a constant need for more that mirrors Eusia’s own. After performing a spell, she feels a “depthless hunger” and the paradoxical sensation of being both drained and dangerously full. This hunger frightens her, particularly because it manifests as a desire to consume Theodore, blurring the line between her love and Eusia’s predatory influence. The Dellen Mage Seer—a withered, insect-infested husk of a person—demonstrates what Imogen could become if she fully embraces magic, particularly as the Mage Seer is literally consumed by the impact of her power when she is eaten alive by her swarm of insects. Through these examples, the novel establishes that the more power a character wields, the more of their emotional and physical humanity they must sacrifice to sustain it.