Lore.05: Twin Princes, Lothric and Lorian - The Cursed Bloodline and the Philosophy of Ruin in Rejecting the Linking of the Fire
Introduction: Two Shadows Seated in the Twilight Castle — A Microcosm of a World at Its Limit
In an age of twilight where the world fades and the sun burns the sky as a dark ring. In this tale, which opens with the unprecedented crisis of successive Lords of Cinder abandoning their thrones, the fundamental cause and arguably one of the ultimate destinations is the “Twin Princes, Lothric and Lorian,” who quietly await ruin at the highest peak of Lothric Castle.
In this article, the fifth in a series of studies reconstructing the end of the Age of Fire, we will unravel the upbringing of the twin princes born as the dearest wish of the Lothric royal family, the cruel destiny they were burdened with, and the internal conflict and philosophy that ultimately led to their decision to “reject the Linking of the Fire.” Their story is a profoundly agonizing example of how the grand cause of “sustaining the fire,” continuing since the first age, has trampled upon individual free will and worn away souls. Deep within the royal castle, even higher than the Grand Archives filled with the scent of dust and candles, they simply await the end of the world.
By synthesizing the texts of left-behind armor and weapons, the descriptions of miracles and sorceries, and the environmental storytelling placed around them, what emerges is the limit of the system of “cycle and stagnation” ordained by the gods, and the trajectory of the brothers’ nihilistic yet deeply pure human love as they attempt to escape its curse. What they rejected was not merely the throne, but the “curse” itself—the endless cycle of rebirth.
1. The Workings of Blood and the Birth of the Twin Princes — A Prison Named Fatalism
The kingdom of Lothric was founded by those connected to the bloodline of the first Lord of Cinder, Lord Gwyn, or by his fanatical followers, and its national policy was concentrated solely on the “production of a Lord of Cinder.” To intentionally create a Lord of Cinder with even greater power, the Lothric royal family is said to have repeated maddening workings of blood—namely, eugenic breeding and sorcerous rituals.
Born within this cage of “fatalism” and burdened with the distortion of that blood upon themselves were the brothers Lothric and Lorian. It is no exaggeration to say that the massive structure of Lothric Castle itself was a cradle designed to birth and imprison them.
1.1 The Destiny of a Lord of Cinder and Physical Deficiency
The younger brother, Prince Lothric, was destined from birth to become a Lord of Cinder. However, his birth was not the glorious event the royal family had desired. As the remaining texts and his appearance indicate, he grew up swaddled in infant-like robes, his body so frail and plagued by illness that he could not even walk on his own two feet. The flesh that was meant to harbor the “Ember,” the mark of a Lord of Cinder, was cursed from the moment he was born.
This physical deficiency functions as a symbol of the “distortion” of the world itself, which attempts to prolong the fire against the providence of nature. His own feeble body speaks more eloquently than anything else that the system created by the will of the gods has reached its limit. The “purity of blood” that the royal family obsessed over ironically produced the most fragile vessel at its apex.
1.2 The Devotion of the Elder Brother Lorian and the Sharing of the Curse
On the other hand, the elder brother, Lorian, was raised as a robust knight, in stark contrast to his younger brother. He once achieved the martial feat of slaying the Demon Prince single-handedly, and the greatsword he wielded at that time became eternally scorched by the demon’s flame. Originally, he should have been the one possessing the body and strength befitting a king. However, as existences that “symbolize the royal family as a whole,” they were burdened with a cruel duality: one bearing the destiny of a king, and the other sharing in its suffering.
What must be noted here is that Lorian chose of his own free will to share his brother’s curse. As a matter of fact, Lorian has lost his voice and the ability to walk on his own legs. This is not an honorable wound from battle, but a metaphorical and physical “sharing of the curse” that resulted from his attempt to save his brother, even a little, from a cursed destiny.
| Attribute | Prince Lothric (Younger Brother) | Elder Prince Lorian (Elder Brother) |
|---|---|---|
| Inherent Destiny | The symbol of “hope” born to become a Lord of Cinder. | The knight acting as the “unyielding sword” protecting his brother. |
| Physical Characteristics | Sickly from birth, incapable of walking on his own. | A robust warrior, but lost his voice and legs due to sharing the curse. |
| Combat Methods | Light magic via miracles, healing, and spatial teleportation assistance for his brother. | Fierce physical attacks using a scorched greatsword harboring the demon’s flame. |
| Mentality | Nihilism, resignation, intellectual rebellion against the system. | Blind devotion to his brother, wordless self-sacrifice. |
This act by Lorian functions as a powerful antithesis to the public mission of “self-sacrifice for the world” forced upon them by the Lothric royal family. Lorian did not sacrifice himself for the world (the Linking of the Fire), but solely out of pure love for his one and only brother. This decision, which is nothing but rebellion from the perspective of the gods’ history, is nothing less than the “acquisition of free will” from the perspective of human existence.
2. The Abyss of the Grand Archives and the “First Scholar” — Awakening to Free Will
Behind Lothric, who was born bound by destiny, coming to the decision to “reject the Linking of the Fire” with clear intent, lies the ideological intervention of one important figure. That is the entity known as the “First Scholar.”
In Lothric Castle, there are three pillars: the Knights, the High Priestess, and the Scholars. Among the scholars who govern the Grand Archives towering deep within the royal castle, the one considered the first is recorded to have secretly been the mentor to Prince Lothric.
2.1 Heretical Teachings and Soul Stream
The text for the sorcery “Soul Stream” clearly records a truth hidden in the depths of the Grand Archives: “The first of the Scholars doubted the linking of the fire, and was alleged to be a private mentor to the Royal Prince.” It is also passed down that this sorcery was a parting gift from the scholar to the prince.
In the Kingdom of Lothric, where the Linking of the Fire is officially the supreme imperative, “doubting the Linking of the Fire” is the greatest heresy. However, the very founder of the Grand Archives, where the kingdom’s wisdom gathers, harbored doubts about the very foundation of the world. It is surmised that he preached to the prince how the act of linking the fire is a meaningless repetition of cycles, and how that act desecrates the natural death of the soul.
The fragments of dialogue uttered by Lothric exude the nihilistic and philosophical intellect inherited from this scholar. The act of burning oneself for the world is nothing but a glorified system of slavery. For Lothric, who suffered over the meaning of his existence on his sickbed, the scholar’s teachings were the “light of truth” to escape his curse.
2.2 Separation of Facts and Inferences Regarding the Identity of the First Scholar
Regarding the mystery of “who was the First Scholar,” which touches the core of the story, we will clearly distinguish and organize the facts presented in the game and the inferences drawn from the historical background.
| Layer of Analysis | Content |
|---|---|
| Explicit Facts | 1. The First Scholar doubted the Linking of the Fire. 2. He secretly served as a mentor to Prince Lothric. 3. He left the sorcery “Soul Stream,” which fires a massive beam of light, as a parting gift. 4. The scholars of the Grand Archives wield crystal sorcery, and Oceiros, the Consumed King, also devoted himself to this heretical knowledge (the worship of the paledrake). |
| Inference: Aldia, Scholar of the First Sin Theory | The theory that the First Scholar was “Aldia, Scholar of the First Sin” from a past age. His title “Scholar of the First Sin” resonates semantically with “First Scholar.” His ideology, which doubted the very system of the Linking of the Fire’s cycle and aimed outside of causality, perfectly aligns with Lothric’s philosophy. As suggested by the Priestess Ring (and the Prayer set in loading screens), the interpretation that Aldia performed an “inception” (planting of ideology) on Lothric to prevent him from linking the fire is also prominent in the community. |
| Inference: Big Hat Logan Theory | The theory that “Big Hat Logan,” who sought the essence of crystal sorcery, is the First Scholar. This is based on the scholars of the Grand Archives using crystal sorcery and dropping crystal miracles, and Oceiros appearing to inherit Logan’s research. However, philosophical depictions of Logan himself being a “doubter of the Linking of the Fire” are scarce in past history, and in terms of ideological influence, there is a slight leap in contextual connection compared to the Aldia theory. |
| Inference: Pontiff Sulyvahn Theory | There is also a theory that Pontiff Sulyvahn is the First Scholar, but his ambition and influence were primarily directed toward Aldrich, Devourer of Gods, and the usurpation of Anor Londo, leaving little evidence for him being the direct ideological background of Prince Lothric. |
In the analysis of this article, we position that the ideological intervention of the “Scholar of the First Sin (or one who heavily inherited his teachings)” is the most natural fit for the theme of “abandonment of duty and free will,” which is the central subject of Lothric’s story. Furthermore, traces of Faraam Knights can be seen in Lothric Castle, and the influx of culture and ideology from a past kingdom (Drangleic) through the Way of Blue serves as environmental evidence reinforcing this inference.
3. The True Meaning of the “Curse” and Rebellion Against the First Sin — The Unyielding Sword Rises
Having received the scholar’s teachings and understood the cruelty of his situation, Lothric finally refuses to take the throne of Cinder. He chose to seclude himself at the highest peak of the castle, simply waiting quietly for the fire to fade and the world to be enveloped in darkness. For them, the duty as a Lord of Cinder was not to save the world, but merely the imposition of endless toil.
3.1 “Rise, if you would… For that is our curse.”
The battle at the highest peak enveloped in silence. In its second phase, when Lorian exhausts his strength and falls, Lothric uses the light of a miracle to revive his brother, and clings to his brother’s back to wield the sword together. At this moment, Lothric utters highly symbolic words.
“My dear brother (*Note: correctly, elder brother), unyielding sword of the Prince. Rise, if you would… For that is our curse.”
What does this “curse” refer to? On the surface, it sounds as if it refers to the curse of the undead, or their own agonizing destiny of having to continue fighting even after falling. However, delving into the philosophical truth at its depths, it can be understood that these words are a direct homage to, and an irony of, the “creation of life” brought about by The First Flame—that is, the “First Sin.”
Once, with the advent of fire, disparity came to the world, and life and death were born. “You who link the fire, you who bear the curse… Once the fire is linked, souls will flourish anew, and all of this will play out again.” However, by forcibly prolonging the Age of Fire, the natural cycle of life and death was destroyed, and the madness of the undying undead spread throughout the world. To be resurrected no matter how many times one dies, forced into endless suffering. This is the true nature of the “curse of the world” that Lothric saw through.
While reviving his brother, Lothric sneers at this maddening, endless battle and the desecration of life and death as a “meaningless curse,” yet he imbues his words with the tragic resolve that the two of them will see this curse to its end (ruin) together. For him, even the struggle to repel the Unkindled (the protagonist) is nothing more than an embodiment of a grand meaninglessness (a curse). They did not affirm the curse; they chose to perish alongside it.
3.2 The Idle Peace of Awaiting Ruin
What drifts between Lothric and Lorian is not hostility or hatred, but a bottomless “sense of desolation” and “resignation.” The highest peak of the Grand Archives where they reside is illuminated by the dark sun (the eclipse of the Darksign) covering the sky, serving as a despairing front-row seat with a panoramic view of the world just as it is about to end.
“This spot marks our grave… But you may rest here too, if you would like.”
This quiet line at the opening of the boss battle carries some of the greatest beauty and sorrow in the game. For them, the highest peak of the royal castle was not an observatory to watch over the world’s fate, but a “grave” for themselves to enter. Lothric shows no fierce anger even toward the protagonist, an intruder trying to drag him back to the throne, but simply and gently proposes, “Why not accept this idle peace (death) together?”
This philosophical outlook represents the ultimate exhaustion toward eternal recurrence. Against the deceitful system where everything repeats and souls flourish anew, they chose “stagnation” as their sole resistance through free will. For them, the return to darkness was not a terror, but the ultimate salvation for souls worn down by thousands of years of the system’s operation. To borrow the words of the Fire Keeper, “What lies ahead, only you can see,” and they desired precisely the darkness that lay beyond the unseen.
4. The Choice Leading to the End of the World (The Dreg Heap) — The Consequence of Cycle and Stagnation
The decision made by Lothric and Lorian did not stop at their personal tragedy; it brought about a decisive collapse to this worldview, and by extension, the very structure of space-time. Just how massive a causality their “rejection” triggered is proven by the story depicting the far reaches of the distant future.
4.1 The Madness of Blood Descending from Gwyn and the Incline Toward the End
In the first age, Lord Gwyn, who became the first Lord of Cinder, feared the coming of the Age of Dark and prolonged the world by casting himself into the fire. This self-sacrifice was passed down as myth, becoming the foundation for the “curse of the Linking of the Fire” in subsequent ages.
Lothric and Lorian are existences connected to the generation of Gwyn’s grandchildren, or his distant descendants. The history of blood descending from Gwyn lost its purity over time and became pregnant with madness. The figure of Oceiros, the Consumed King, who has become a deformed dragon in the castle gardens and goes mad clutching an invisible infant (Ocelotte), symbolizes the wretched end of a royal family trapped by the purity of blood and the dearest wish of the Linking of the Fire.
The sight of High Priestess Emma bleeding out and dying while pleading, “Save him. The Prince of Lothric. He must be Lord,” is the embodiment of the delusion clinging to the system of the old age. There is no doubt that Lothric’s rejection of the Linking of the Fire included a fierce disgust toward this madness of blood and despair over the repeated tragedies.
4.2 The Limit of the Cycle and the Wreckage Shown by The Dreg Heap
What happened to the world as a result of Lothric not linking the fire? Its physical and cosmological consequence is “The Dreg Heap.”
When the cycle of the Linking of the Fire reached its limit and the fire was not linked, the world could no longer maintain the concept of space-time, and the wreckage of all lands and eras crumbled toward the “end of the world,” piling up in The Dreg Heap. When one who steps into The Dreg Heap looks at the horizon, they see the wreckage of Lothric Castle, literally collapsed, tilted diagonally, and overlapping like driftwood.
Furthermore, in the lower layers, “Earthen Peak,” the wreckage of another cycle, has sunk, and in its abyss, within a burnt-out greatwood, lies the ruins of the Firelink Shrine from the second cycle (the first age). Here, the last demons inhabit the very brink before falling off the end of the world, structured so that passing through Frampt’s old tunnel leads to the “cliff” at the world’s end. While undead beings like Andre continue to exist across thousands of years, the world itself, triggered by the brothers’ “rejection,” was physically compressed and swept toward the abyss of collapse.
Their choice possessed immense power, enough to physically collapse the logic of the world ordained by the gods. However, it was not born of destructive malice or ambition, but was merely the result of a grand resignation and a yearning for rest, attempting to return a world that had reached the end of its lifespan to a natural death. The collapse of the world was, for them, like a final, quiet breath to be released from a long, agonizing illness.
Conclusion: The Faint Humanity of Brothers Huddled Together in the Ash
The story of the Twin Princes, Lothric and Lorian, stands tall as the highest pinnacle of the “aesthetics of ruin” in this epic depicting the end of the Age of Fire.
They were existences robbed of everything inherent to them by destiny. One was robbed of a healthy body and a future, while the other was robbed of his voice and his stride. One was robbed of the choice of whether to sit on the throne, while the other was robbed of the freedom to live his own life. However, in that furthest land where they abandoned everything forced upon them by destiny, they acquired only one ultimate free will: to “share a deathbed.”
During the battle, the figure of the elder brother Lorian, rising by his brother’s miracle no matter how many times he falls, wielding his scorched sword while carrying the brother with whom he shared the curse. And the figure of the younger brother Lothric, casting magic from his brother’s back, whispering curses against destiny and deep love into his ear. In that moment when their two souls perfectly synchronized and were completed as a single existence, they completely transcended the framework of a “Lord of Cinder” forced upon them by the gods. The fact that the “Twin Princes’ Greatsword” they left behind is a holy yet profane weapon possessing both of their natures (holy light and demon’s flame) physically proves the inseparable bond of their souls.
“This spot marks our grave… But you may rest here too, if you would like.”
In that voice, there is no longer any anger toward the world. There is no regret born of self-pity. In a world where the fire is fading, the brothers chose a quiet, secluded gravestone over a bloodstained throne of glory. Beneath their gaze lie countless corpses of Lothric Knights and Winged Knights of the angelic faith, who once divided the kingdom in conflict. In the outside world, all lands are beginning to collapse toward the end of space-time.
However, only the highest peak of the Grand Archives is enveloped in a strange, gentle silence. Amidst the tremendous sense of nihilism that is the end of the Age of Fire, what the cursed brothers demonstrated was the extremely pure and faint radiance of “humanity (love and self-determination)” taking the form of rebellion against the system. It is a maddeningly melancholic and elegant hymn of ruin, wishing for the peace of a single brother’s soul over the fate of the world. We can only move forward by striking them down, but no one can deny the value of the “peace of darkness” they desired.
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