OK, pardon the philosophical tone, but what is good and evil? Who is good and evil? No, I’m not being argumentative. I think I can make a very good case that there is a little good and evil in most of the characters.

(Ok, some of these remarks are spoilers for those who have not completed the game)

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Ryudo: OK, on the face of things, he's not a very likeable person...he goes around doing jobs for money. Not necessarily evil, but not necessarily good either. He walks a fine line. When he becomes possessed with a portion of Valmar, I think his potential for evil is manifested -- he could have become like Melfice and wreaked havoc and become evil. Perhaps a piece of Valmar is a manifestation of evil? Of course, in the end, he fights Valmar and is, essentially, good.

Roan: He comes from a line of people who helped Valmar in the past. But does this make him evil? Far from it, IMO. He denounces the tie to Valmar and asks his people to do likewise. And some might say by hiding the truth of their past, the people of Cyrum have committed an evil against themselves -- they are not being true to their heritage, so they cannot be true to themselves and reject Valmar.

Tio: Her "race" was built to serve Valmar, if memory serves. Her enslavement made her a tool of evil. But once freed, Tio was able to explore the world around her, learn about good and evil and love, and, in the end, choose the path of good.

Mareg: Driven by bloodlust, one could see him as somewhat evil at first. I mean, he is one of the "bosses" of the game, if you like. But as he travels with his companions, we see a softer side of Mareg, especially towards Roan, and later Tio. In the end, he makes the ultimate sacrifice -- now how can anyone even think of Mareg as anything but a good guy?

Elena: I don't think Elena was inherently evil. Some might say being possessed by a portion of Valmar makes her so. Some might say having Millenia as an alter ego makes her evil. I think Elena's problem is that she is so devoted to her faith that she wears blinders. She doesn’t believe in herself, but in this higher being. Her lack of faith in herself and in humanity is a terrible crime -- not necessarily evil, but not really good either. When she loses her illusions with the crushing truth that Granas doesn’t exist, she moves closer to becoming the person she needs to be -- a strong, loving, self-reliant (to a point) human being, and her ability to spread this to others brings a goodness into the world.

Millenia: Ahh, but isn’t this an easy one. She's evil, right? Somewhat cold, calculated, albeit comical, evil manifestation of Valmar. Perhaps at first, but like all the other characters, she, too, evolves. She learns how to loosen her stranglehold of selfishness to see the needs of others. The turning point begins in the aftermath of Aira's "death," and continues through the rest of the game. She comes to care about Ryudo -- more than just the desire to "make" him hers, which is selfish. She always has affection for Roan, and she even comes to understand Elena and helps guide her to the right path. See, Millenia's one of the good guys after all.

A note about Zera...I think at one point Zera was a good man, and I think he believed in the ways of light. But somewhere along the way, he, like most villains, got corrupted. I don't think anti-heroes are born that way. They evolve out of disappointment. Like Elena, Zera was likely crushed by the revelation that Granas no longer existed. But instead of taking the "good" path of believing in the power of the people, Zera instead rejected humans as being imperfect and took the "evil" path of trying to become a substitute deity.

Of course, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

Eiko