u/AccomplishedCash6390

I don't even know where to start with this since there's a lot I want to say, but here we go.

First, I see a lot of people equating Denia's quest to suicidal tendencies, and while there's definitely a lot of similar themes, I think it goes way deeper than that. To be suicidal, you must first actually live, and Denia never got to live. She had been created as a tool for the Grand Architect's research born only to fulfil that "purpose." Does she truly want to die? Or is her death something that to her feels "only natural"? A tool getting disposed of when it's no longer needed. It also ties in to the quest being themed around her birthday. Denia's birthday is her birth as a real person, not a tool for anyone, just Denia.

Rover asks her, "Have you ever thought about continuing your life?" To the people who view Denia's situation as a parallel to suicide, they interpret this question as being insensitive or awkward, because it would be had that been the case. But when you think that Denia had probably never even considered the possibility of living after the Fractsidus were done with her, this question is Rover telling Denia that she can choose to live. It's not out of her control anymore. The fact that Denia thinks back on this later, saying it'd be nice to continue living, shows how a question like this can open her eyes to the possibility. Her brain was processing an entirely new worldview where she gets to make her own choices every single day, and when she finally understands it, she realised how much she wants it.

She asks, "Do I deserve to?" which can either be interpreted as self hatred/loathing, or in the way that she perceives herself as something sub-human, something that doesn't have the *right* to live the same way humans do. Which makes her story so much more tragic. Rover plays into this by telling her that the heart is what defines a person. Regardless of how she was created, she has a heart that makes her a person. And her thinking back, realising that she had been smiling when she was with Sigrika, realising that she'd always had a heart, and therefore always been a person is too sad.

I also want to talk about Rover's unfinished words. Everyone assumed he would ask Denia to join the black shores. It makes sense. But then why would he hide that from Abby? He had already asked Galbrena, so it wouldn't be shocking for Abby to know he would also ask Denia. Kuro knows what they're doing by having Abby purposefully ask this. I believe Rover was going to ask Denia to join him, not as a member of the black shores, but as someone who "roves" Solaris alongside him. And it hints to the fact that deep down, Rover feels like he doesn't belong anywhere either. Solaris isn't his home, and his real home has abandoned him. In that way, him and Denia are like kindred spirits. Rover saying it's a secret makes sense when you think that he was about to make a sort of vulnerable/personal request to Denia. But it doesn't matter now, so he doesn't need to repeat it. And the "for now" says a lot. Rover already confidently said that he believes they'll see Denia again. He could've said he doesn't know, but he didn't. "For now" could mean that he'd ask her properly, one day, when they meet again.

Then, after everything goes down, we see Rover sitting on the bench of misery. I see some people interpret his reaction as indifference, but the way they purposefully covered his eyes in that moment, I personally got the vibe that Rover was incredibly frustrated/defeated. And the flashback itself tells a lot, too. The theme that "darkness is winning" but "the light came later" shows that while it may look like evil is winning, light is still there, and it's still fighting. It may be losing now, but it'll win in due time. This could refer to the battle against the Fractsidus, with the "darkness winning" referring to losing Denia, or it could refer to Denia's life before, or it could refer to the "void" that Denia is currently in, before "the light arrives" implying Rover saving her. It's up to how everyone wants to interpret it, but it's generally a sign of hope.

All that said, I genuinely think this is the best written quest Kuro games have ever given us. In terms of pure character writing, it's unmatched. I also wholeheartedly and narratively believe that we'll Denia again next year on her birthday.