A Soul of Ash and Blood

Cas’s embrace and eventual rejection of the title “the Dark One” symbolize his acknowledgment of the narrative imposed upon him by others and his pursuit of authenticity and redemption in the eyes of those he cares about, particularly Poppy (89).

The Ascended invented “the Dark One” to fabricate “a shadow figure to hold up as an example of how evil Atlantians were, using the mere threat of such a specter to frighten further and control the kingdom’s people” (90). While Cas unleashes his violence on Solis’s Ascended, he embraces the title, believing he is a “tulpa,” or a being willed into existence by others’ imagination. As he avenges people who tortured him for decades, Cas realizes “the Dark One hadn’t been real. Not in the beginning. But he [exists] now” (90). The Ascended created the name to scare mortals into submission, but by reclaiming the title as he brutalizes the Ascended themselves, Cas undermines their power and uses their own narrative against them.

However, when Cas gets to know and falls in love with Poppy, he rejects his “Dark One” moniker, asking her to say his real name as they have sex. Cas rejecting his “Dark One” persona with Poppy illustrates

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