The Case for The Order: Sunday Was (Almost) Right

To understand Penacony, you have to understand that Sunday is not a villain in the traditional sense. He is a savior with a broken heart.

His philosophy is best explained through the childhood story of the Charmony Dove. When Sunday and his sister Robin found an injured bird, they faced a choice: keep it in a cage where it is safe, or let it fly and risk it dying.

Sunday chose the cage.

His logic is rooted in a twisted form of Utilitarianism. He looks at the universe and sees suffering. He sees people dying of star-sickness, poverty, and grief. To Sunday, the "Trailblaze"—the desire to explore and struggle—is just a romantic way of describing unnecessary pain.

If he uses the power of the Aeon Ena (The Order) to trap everyone in a "Sweet Dream," suffering is mathematically eliminated. The weak are protected. The dying live forever.

It is difficult to argue against him because, for some people, he is right. Think of Tizocic II, the Empress, or the frantic dreamers in the Golden Hour. For them, reality is a death sentence. Sunday’s "Order" offers them dignity.

The Flaw in the Dream: The Experience Machine

If Sunday’s plan creates a world of pure happiness, why does the Astral Express fight so hard to wake up?

The answer lies in a famous philosophical thought experiment by Robert Nozick called The Experience Machine.

"Imagine a machine that could simulate a perfect life for you. You would think you were a great artist, a hero, or a loved parent. You wouldn't know it was a simulation. Nozick argued that most humans would still reject the machine. Why?"

Because we want to do things, not just feel like we did them.

This is the fatal flaw of The Order. Acheron (representing The Nihility) serves as the perfect counter-weight to Sunday. She reminds us that a world without "The Bitter" makes "The Sweet" meaningless. If you cannot fail, your success has no value. If you cannot lose, your love has no stakes.

Sunday wanted to create a paradise, but by removing the possibility of failure, he accidentally created a graveyard. A place where nothing changes, nothing grows, and nothing matters.

The Will of the Trailblaze: The Courage to Fall

While Sunday represents Determinism (your fate is decided for your own safety), the Astral Express represents Existentialism (you create your own meaning through choices).

The emotional climax of the arc isn't just the boss fight; it's the ideological clash between Sunday and his sister, Robin.

Robin loves the bird just as much as Sunday does. But she realizes that protecting the bird from the sky strips it of its nature. To be a bird is to fly. To be human is to struggle.

When the Trailblazer answers Sunday’s final question—"Why does life slumber?"—with the answer "Because someday we will wake from our dreams," it is a declaration of intent. We don't wake up because reality is better. We wake up because reality is true.

The "Trailblaze" isn't about the destination; it's about the road. And you cannot walk the road if you are asleep.

The Hidden Tragedy of Sunday

There is one final detail that elevates this arc from "great" to "masterpiece," and it’s often overlooked.

In Sunday’s plan for the perfect dream, someone still had to manage the system. Someone had to stay awake to ensure the Order was maintained. That person was Sunday.

He wasn’t trying to become a god to rule over people; he was preparing to sacrifice his own eternal happiness to become the server administrator of paradise. He would have been the only lonely soul in a universe of bliss.

He was willing to be the eternal prisoner so that everyone else could be free.