If asked which game developer was best known for creating dark and dismal games with in-depth lore that still leaves unanswered questions, FromSoftware likely comes to mind. From Demon's Souls to Elden Ring, each of their titles is filled with a dark atmosphere and cryptic lore.
The original Demon's Souls, the prototype for what is now popularly known as the Soulsborne genre, established that signature cryptic lore, which extends beyond the moment-to-moment level design and world building into the very endings themselves. Due to the difficulty, many players struggle to even reach the ending, and for those that do, they're often left bewildered at what they just experienced. If you're hoping for a deeper understanding of what exactly the endings mean, you've come to the right place.
Before The End
Soulsborne games are known to never end without a few difficult decisions to make. With vast worlds brimming with buried lore and unguided exploration, the world you play in is yours to change. Whether that change be for better or worse is up to the choices you make. The Slayer of Demons made the choice to fight the Old One and heed the call of the Monumental. This leads players to wake up in the Nexus and begin to unravel the hub that will lead them to another choice.
In the Nexus, the Maiden in Black will be your demon guide of sorts. Her end goal is the same as the Monumental who brought you to the Nexus in the first place -- to lull The Old One back to sleep. All that stands in the way of this goal are a few thousand demons with Arch Demons leading them -- and a disgraced king. Once the battles are over and each world has been fully explored, the final crossroad is presented. You must make a choice that will influence the land of Boletaria for ages to come. It all rests on what the Slayer of Demons decides to do at the end of their harrowing journey.
The Good Ending
Seen as the ultimately better ending of the two is the Sleeping End. Here, players will choose to lull the Old One back to sleep with the aid of the Maiden in Black. Having resisted the call for ultimate power, the Slayer will walk away and leave Boletaria safe once again. The Maiden in Black and the Old One will vanish as the fog consumes both of these demons.
In this ending, the Slayer of Demons becomes the new Monumental that will guide and protect all of Boletaria now that the Old One is gone. Still, the player is holding a position of power that can't easily be matched. It doesn't seem like they completely gave up too much personally, but there are great losses in other areas from this outcome. The souls that were taken by the demons during this strife will forever be lost. They can never be reclaimed, and those who lost their souls will succumb to the madness that exists from lacking one. Not exactly a saving-everyone route that most heroes strive to achieve. Soul Arts are also lost to the world. The Old One is the source of all magic -- be it holy or unholy. This means without his presence in the world, even the helpful schools of magic are gone. Healing and even faith magic itself.
However, this ending isn't perfect; the Old One and Maiden in Black are not gone forever. These two ancient demons will return when someone else hears the call to the Soul Arts and stirs the Old One again. The Maiden in Black will come with him to seek another to help her return the Old One to its slumber. There will be more souls lost to new demons, another set of Arch Demons that will stand in the way, and another Slayer will have to take the call to end it all. The spiral will continue for eternity.
The Bad Ending
As with its good counterpart, the bad ending isn't truly an end either but is a far darker point in a never-ending cycle of rebirth. The Slayer will decide to take the ultimate power offered by the Old One and slay the Maiden in Black. With no demon or other power left to lull it back the slumber, the Old One will go unchecked and wreak chaos across the lands with the player at their side. A Deep Fog will engulf the land as the Old One realizes they have a new companion that is willing to aid them -- one with an unquenchable desire for souls, which has led to the ultimate corruption.
Killing one of the few demons as old as the Old One (the Maiden in Black) has lasting repercussions that will lead to even more strife in the world. Choosing power in this form will leave magic in the lands in all forms, which can help some in the interim, but it will have catastrophic consequences as well. The souls that were caught up in demon fights could be reclaimed, but they will likely suffer continued destruction at the hands of the mounting demon waves, twisting them and the world of Boletaria to the whims of the Old One. It is the pinnacle of selfishness and a hunger for power that will lead any Slayer of Demons to this destructive end.