It’s easy to get lost in the dark places of our mind. The negative thoughts guide us along a downward spiral, and it’s difficult to know where to look for the way out. This is why we need reminders that we innately know where to search for the light — even if those reminders come from a live-action rock opera musical inside a video game.
Show me the Champion of Light
I’ll show you the Herald of Darkness
The refrain from the song “Herald of Darkness,” by Alan Wake 2’s in-universe band Old Gods of Asgard, is meant as a wake up call to the title protagonist that he is both one of the story’s heroes and its leading antagonist. But with each repeat of the refrain, it hit me that it’s also a reminder that while we’re our own worst enemy, we’re also our own best champion.
I wasn’t just guiding Alan out of the Dark Place at that point; I was showing myself how to escape it, too. I’m no stranger to where negative thoughts can lead. While I can’t use a flare gun to blast them away, I can constantly remind myself that just on the other side of every crippling dark thought are the ones that’ll keep me moving forward. Thoughts like the logical ones that stop me from projecting the worst possible outcomes or the determined ones that provide motivation when I’m down.
It’s not a band-aid by any means, but it’s a mantra to repeat with each step and stumble along the way out of the dark. It’s a reminder of the joy and pain we always hold together and that when it gets overwhelming, there’s at least one thing we can do.
Show me the Champion of Light
