Season 6, Episode 6 of the Netflix series The Dragon Prince, titled “Moment of Truth,” is directed by George Samilski and penned by the show creators Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond. The episode focuses on Callum being healed of the dark taint dark magic gave him in Season 2 and Season 5, and Viren’s attempt to write and explain why he fell down a dark path. Both storylines show how the past affects the present and that the choices of the present will define what will happen in the future.
Callum’s Inner Conflict
A day after Kosmo (Ethan Farrell) saw darkness in Callum (Jack DeSena), the latter felt so anxious that he only slept for an hour and woke up feeling anxious on the floor. Rayla (Paula Burrows) is concerned so she tries to cheer her boyfriend up by playfully suggesting the idea of adorning him with the Corona of the Heavens. Callum is still depressed as they did not find a way to destroy the Pearl along with Aaravos inside. However, the young Moonshadow Elf does tell the young prince of Katolis that they can just entrust the Pearl to the incorruptible Celestial Elves who now have two Timeblinds that can avoid any potential danger Aaravos brings.
Kosmo’s Timeblind Vision
The duo then meet with the Elder (Mark Gibbon), Kosmo, and Astrid (Boone Williams) with the request to have the Celestial Elves guard and look after the Pearl and ensure Aaravos remains imprisoned. The Elder then has Kosmo magically analyze the Pearl and see if it is truly the prison Aaravos is kept in. As a Timeblind, Kosmo goes into a vision to see a possible future if he told Callum and Rayla the truth about the Pearl they brought. The vision makes the world the young Timeblind is in all gray with only him maintaining his sense of color. The truth is that the Pearl is not the prison that holds Aaravos but a ball of candy.
“Callum” is shocked and despairs that he was tricked and possessed by Aaravos again when he went down to Viren’s laboratory to make the switch. “Rayla” tries to comfort “Callum” but the prince is still depressed and feels so bad to the point that he runs back to his and Rayla’s guest room in the Starlooms. Kosmo and “Astrid” feel bad and want to comfort “Callum.” The former explains that the darkness inside “Callum” creates a hole inside one’s spirit, a corrupted emptiness. It is how the Fallen Star was able to control “Callum” since he can magically add an artificial light in that emptiness to control the prince and his body.
“Astrid” then explains that there is a solution to fill the darkness inside “Callum” with light again. The process is dangerous and it will require all of the prince’s courage and strength. Despite the solution at hand, “Callum” refuses since he does not have any courage or strength left.
“Astrid” confronts Kosmo
Later, “Astrid” confronts Kosmo in order to berate her younger twin brother for acting dumb despite being enlightened. “Astrid” explains that Callum was already fragile until Kosmo told him he messed up with the Pearl. It broke the prince’s spirit. Kosmo tries to defend himself that he was only telling the truth and asks how that can be wrong. “Astrid” then replies that truth is everything and that before Kosmo gives it to another, he should ask himself if he is giving them clarity, light, and purpose or shifting a burden to someone who needs all their strength. With this knowledge at hand, Kosmo leaves the vision and takes his hand off of the fake Pearl.
Kosmo then tells Callum and Rayla that the truth is complicated and feels conflicted in telling a lie. Despite this, the Elder lies on behalf of his timeblind student that the fake Pearl is the real Pearl in order to comfort Callum and give him some confidence. Based on the Elder’s interference, it is likely a test to see how Kosmo makes a decision which he seemingly passes and fails, requiring more time and practice to actually make a right choice. The Elder likely witnessed Callum’s despair if told the truth so he told a lie to maintain the prince’s confidence to be able to accept Astrid and Kosmo’s help to heal the emptiness dark magic left in his body.
Callum’s Moment of Truth
At night, when the stars are bright and visible, the Celestial Elf twins bring Callum, accompanied by Rayla, to the Starscraper’s Zenith to begin the star-truth ritual of filling the prince’s emptiness with light. First, Callum will drink venom from a Starweaver spider which makes Callum’s spirit sensitive to starlight. Then, Callum will fly up to the heavens because the closer one gets to the stars, the stronger the star magic. Callum must search his mind and heart for his one deep truth, the star inside him. Finally, Callum must let that truth shine and fill the darkness.
The star-truth ritual then begins with Callum getting injected with Starweaver spider venom, making him vulnerable to starlight and flying with his wings towards the stars. Callum is initially terrified as he flies up and later falls, but he sees his one deep truth which takes the form of a humanoid constellation shaped as Rayla, who is loving and caring to Callum. The high mage sees this and he flies to “Rayla” and embraces the entity. Following this, Callum descends and lands on top of the Zenith to the real Rayla’s relief.
Callum and Rayla Kiss
Callum and Rayla return to their room in the Starlooms. It is there that Callum explains how his strength and light is his love for Rayla, so he would like his girlfriend to rekindle their romantic relationship once more. Rayla accepts Callum’s love and the two embrace with a tender kiss, which would be an exciting interest to all those who support Rayllum. However, it is still a concern that Rayla has not apologized yet to Callum for leaving him for two years on her quest to hunt Viren. Hopefully, this will be addressed in a possible emotional scene in Season 7.
Viren and Lissa with a sick Soren
Back in Katolis, Viren writes a confession on a parchment of how his descent to darkness began. The confession is for Soren so that Viren’s only son can have closure of why his father became the way he was years ago. The confession begins with Viren meeting his wife Lissa for the first time and ends with him starting to neglect Soren during the latter’s childhood.
Viren writes how he felt lucky to have married Lissa because she was the smartest and kindest woman he ever met. They had two children: Soren and Claudia. Both started as happy and loving children, but something happened with Soren during his childhood. Soren became sickly and had a hard time breathing, meaning that he had a high case of asthma to the point of dying. Soren’s parents were so helpless that they had to realize that their one and only son will die one day and that Claudia will have to grow up without her brother.
Nevertheless, Viren and Lissa never gave up and sought out many doctors and herbalists to find a cure to Soren’s condition, no matter how ridiculous they seemed. Despite this, nothing worked causing the couple to despair at the thought of losing their son. Viren became so desperate he began to turn to dark magic for the first time in his life. He knew how to perform dark magic rituals and spells but he never tried it before. However, a powerful dark magic ritual would require a powerful conduit: The relic staff (Staff of Ziard) which at the time belonged to Viren’s mentor, Kpp’Ar (Greg Rogers).
Viren and Kpp’Ar
Kpp’Ar was once an ambitious dark mage who studied and practiced dark magic. However, as he got older and wiser, Kpp’Ar decided to turn away from the dark arts in favor of benefiting the people of Katolis and the rest of humanity with engineering. Viren’s mentor worked in a mysterious castle called the Puzzle House which is guarded by various puzzles and traps he created to ensure no intruder can invade and steal his work.
In truth, Soren and Claudia visited the Puzzle House which is where Claudia discovered a map to the hidden realm of the Unicorns, surprisingly near Katolis. Read The Dragon Prince: Puzzle House if one is interested in seeing how Soren and Claudia outmaneuver and solve the puzzles. This happened years after Kpp’Ar’s disappearance, a disappearance explained and revealed in this episode.
One night, Kpp’Ar arrives in Viren’s chambers in Katolis’ castle to meet with his pupil and asks if he liked being his successor as the high mage of Katolis. Viren explains how he likes his position and details how King Atticus, King Harrow’s father and Ezran’s paternal grandfather, is a wise and measured king to serve under. However, the conversation takes a dark turn when Viren asks his mentor if he can use the relic staff only once to save his son Soren.
Kpp’Ar refuses as the relic staff is dangerous, being the only conduit used for dark magic. Dark magic may save Soren, but it will corrupt Viren until he becomes addicted to the point of being a shell of what he once was. Kpp’Ar managed to overcome the addiction but is afraid that his pupil will not. The mentor leaves as the pupil mourns.
Viren traps Kpp’Aar
As Viren confronts his dilemma, he approaches his friend Prince Harrow (Luc Roderique) who is struggling with a dilemma of his own: Proposing to Callum’s mother, Sarai. Sarai has moved on from her first husband’s tragic death after a year and is dating Harrow. However, Harrow is conflicted about marrying Sarai because he thinks it is too soon as he does not want to replace Sarai’s first husband on a whim. Viren then warmly advises his friend that life is complex and that if it is out of love, Harrow should immediately open his heart to Sarai and do what he must.
Viren’s own words then inspired him to act out of what he believed was right, which became what defined his actions for the rest of his life. The first is with the theft of the Relic Staff in order to use the powerful dark conduit to save Soren’s life. Viren then confronts Kpp’Ar in the Puzzle House, leading to a brief scuffle before the high mage takes the Relic Staff. Angry and afraid, Kpp’Ar threatens his pupi that he will tell the truth to everyone in the royal court of Katolis, especially King Atticus, of Viren’s attack. Everyone trusts and respects Kpp’Ar, so it won’t be a problem. Unfortunately, Viren realized from that declaration that he cannot leave his mentor as a witness, so he trapped his soul in a coin as he did with Rayla’s parents and Runaan years later. In the present day, Kpp’Ar is still trapped and his coin is located in Viren’s dungeon only to be ignored by Rayla.
Viren takes Lissa’s Tears
Viren has all the rare magical ingredients and materials he needs to save Soren’s life: The Relic Staff and blood from a wind elk’s antlers. However, the dark mage needs one more thing: the tears of Lissa. Lissa was afraid and called Viren a monster. Viren ignores his wife’s plea and forces her to cry as her tears fill the vial he will use to save Soren’s life. As a result, Lissa becomes heartbroken and divorces Viren. Lissa gave Soren and Claudia a choice to go with her or stay with their father. The children stayed with Viren to Lissa’s remorse, and the act of his wife leaving made the dark mage blame Soren for causing the family to fall apart and only favoring Claudia. This led to years of neglect to Soren, years of neglect which made Viren, in the present day, feel remorse.
Viren’s Choice
After writing his confession, Viren is about to give the confession letter to Soren who came to meet with his father in the dungeon. However, he decides not to as he would only burden Soren with the truth, and lies he has nothing to give to his son. Viren then burns the confession and mourns the idea of leaving his son in the dark for his sake, not wanting Soren to be burdened with the truth that he is the source of why their family began to fall apart.
Rating: 9/10