: Don't forget that if the cycle is not broken, then
: *technically* the light is still due to win the next
: time around. However, that may be changed because of
: their win this time. But if they are supposed to win,
: and I was Alric, I wouldn't kill myself just to be
: defeated when I became the leveller. I would live as
: long as I can as a good guy, since my leveler days
: would be numbered.
Well, I tend to believe that the Cycle is broken and was broken when Alric defeated Balor (for whatever reason). Then again, this is all we technically know about the Cycle:
•The forces of Light and Dark hold dominion over the world successively. This has remained unchanged for countless aeons. The land is meant to belong in turn to men or to monsters (originally undead in a prologue).
•A great comet is supposed to come before every cycle (which can be interpreted as the Leveler too, and how strange it was for the eruption of Tharsis to come before the comet, etcetera).
•Great heroes, like Damas, Connacht, Tireces, Mazzarin, etcetera, are destined to oppose the Dark and prevent it from destroying the Light. They are often equally doomed to return as Fallen Lords (and Levelers and the like).
•It only specifies that the heroes of every age of light are different (not necessarily does this apply to dark ages too?) and that every dark age is brought in by the same person (or being, the Leveler).
I believe that we can also conclude that a Leveler is not a Leveler until he's wrought on the world a Dark Age, and equally, a Great Hero is not a Great Hero unless he wins. This would make sense of "hero of every age of light is different" and "every dark age is ushered in by…the Leveler".
This also makes sense why only Tireces –› Moagim and Connacht –› Balor are mentioned, rather than Moagim Reborn, and such. They were the only ones which were (supposed to be) successful to have the age in their favor.
