The Hidden Side of Nyx

In the world of Arcadia from the game/anime Neo Angelique Abyss, there is a character named Nyx. He is dashing, charming, and well-mannered. He owns the prestigious Hidamari Mansion, and knows at least one person in just about every city of the world. At the beginning of the first season of the anime, he comes to retrieve Angelique from her school, and asks her to join him and his group of Thanatos-fighting Purifiers, the Aube Hunters, in order to save Arcadia. He says that she has a different type of Purifying power than the rest, and is the only female Purifier in the world. Angelique joins him, and their journey ensues, picking up different people along the way while all of them grow closer as friends. However, beneath his handsome facade, Nyx is hiding a very dark secret. What he failed to tell his "precious friends" is that he is secretly an agent of the very being him and his group try so hard to defeat - Erebos and his minions, the Thanatos. Long ago, Nyx and his parents were caught in a ship wreck during a violent storm. As he was drowning, he called out desperately, pleading for his life, hoping that someone, anyone, might hear his cries. He said that he would do anything in order to live. Erebos was the only one who listened to Nyx on that day, and possessed him then and there, saving his life, but ultimately owning it. Instead of the meager 26 years old he claims to be, he is actually 200. At times, it can be hard for Nyx to hide his impulses and keep them under control, especially when around the ocean, as that was the place where he first welcomed Erebos with open arms. In the last episode of the first season of the anime, he burns down his and his friends' home, the Hidamari Mansion, finally revealing to them his evil counterpart. Although the anime takes his character in a different direction than I'd previously imagined, I still decided to type this out. Before I knew that Nyx and Erebos coexisted inside his body, and that Nyx internally fought against Erebos every time the being tried to fully possess him, I thought that Nyx was all bad, and was hiding it the entire time [ which is what I would have liked to have happened ] . I imagined him as the perfect villain, with the absolute best cover-up: pretending to be so much on the side of the good guys. The way the creators led up to the reveal of Nyx's secret was mind-blowing - from the very first episode, because of something that he said, I knew that something was up with him. And the ending title video of season 1 confirmed that he wasn't the normal Aube Hunter that he seemed to be, as the rest of them were. Throughout the show, with each episode that passed, I began to think less and less that Nyx was not what he seemed, and that he truly was just an Aube Hunter. But, his presence in the show was far too important to have built up so much about him, only to let it fall through in the end.
*SIDE NOTE* The above few sentences describe my favorite part of Neo Angelique Abyss. There was so much suspense in the revelation of who Nyx really was. It constantly kept me on edge, constantly made me question myself and my thoughts on what I'd taken him as. As I said, as each episode passed, I began to believe less and less that he was different in some way. He would do things to complement my original opinion, but then say something to complement the opposite. The feeling of not knowing is what really got me hooked in the first episode of this series. Anime that leaves so much room for thought and theories about the characters/plot are always great in my opinion - always end up as my favorites. Anyways...

When the Erebos within Nyx begins to arise, misty purple claw-like shapes begin to wrap around his face, and his bright blue eyes turn dark. His voice deepens from a kind and welcoming tone, to one of spite and hatred. In episode 13 of season 1, he set his home on fire, with all of his friends still inside. That just goes to show that sometimes he cannot stop Erebos from gaining control. Nyx is constantly struggling with an internal battle against good and evil, which is not what I originally thought him to be. I thought, and frankly still wish he was,  just all-out dirty, a skilled liar, the handsome gentleman who used his irresistible charm to make everyone believe his words. At times, it even seemed as if he got Angelique to form feelings for him. Since his character walked down the path that it did, most of his words as, we'll call it "normal Nyx", were probably true, i.e. saying that he would "be very happy" if Angelique were his fiancée one night at a ball, that her purifying light is "warm, welcoming," etc. No matter what I wanted him to be, he is what he is. He also wants to die, which is a nice factor added on to his development. As previously stated, Nyx is 200 years old. When he begged for someone to save him, I don't think that's what he meant. He has been through so many things, definitely too much for one human to handle, so one could understand why he'd finally break down at some point. Erebos is powerful and extremely manipulative. Not only that, Nyx is the core through which Erebos sends his Thanatos into the world. So, that means, despite what his true wants as normal Nyx may be, he is only a slave to his worst enemy. If you ask me, that is some deep character development. Someone definitely put a lot of thought into creating Nyx. Over all, I think Mathias is my all-time favorite character in the series [ he is also another potentially moldable character ] but Nyx is the reason why Neo Angelique Abyss is an absolutely terrific anime, and it is a must-watch. If you have never seen it, I 100% recommend that you watch it, right now. Then, you can decide who your favorite character is, and form your own ideas about the show itself. :)