Destiny 2: Is Osiris Already Dead?
At the beginning of Destiny 2’s Season of the Lost, it was revealed that Savathun, the Witch Queen, has actually been masquerading as Osiris ever since we rescued him/her from Xivu Arath’s High Celebrant all the way back in Season of the Hunt.
Since that revelation, the story for the season has revolved around helping Queen Mara Sov to rescue six of her Techeuns so that they can exorcise Savathun’s worm, as she is essentially a prisoner of Mara Sov. The reason we are doing this favour for Savathun is twofold, the first is that she promises to return the real Osiris to us once her worm is gone, and second: she will be mortal, which means she can be killed.
But what proof do we have that Osiris is actually still alive? What insurance do we have that Savathun will uphold her end of the deal? The answer to both of those questions is the same: absolutely none. During the radio transmission for week five we listen to a conversation between Petra and Ikora.
P: I know you hope that this will lead you to Osiris… But you want my opinion? Osiris is already dead. Savathun is a creature of lies. She has no honour.
I: Your opinion is noted.
Petra puts into words what I’m sure many players have started to consider over the past few weeks. Savathun is the Hive god of deceit, lies and trickery afterall, so we simply can’t take her word for it on this when he is her main piece of leverage.
Furthermore, the lore tab for the new bow this season, Wolftone Draw, confirms that Savathun didn’t just copy Osiris’ form, she actually possessed him, allowing him to watch everything she did as him, but never able to intervene. Have a read:
The slithering dark is cold against my face.
I cannot speak, cannot breathe, I reach for Sagira but then I remember… I form a fist but feel nothing, I am bound, and as I thrash the images cut fissures through my mind —
Someone… the Awoken prince? He helps me to my feet… but still I struggle in the dark, and now SHE is standing, thanking him, but she uses my voice, MY voice —
She has stolen my form, my voice, but someone will see my failure and cast her out… they MUST —
A glimmer of sunlight… how long has it been? Zavala looks at me — at her, considers her words, poison cloaked in wisdom. I cry out, he must know. Zavala, listen, LISTEN, you KNOW me, you know not to —
The smell of night flowers… I am walking — SHE is walking through a moonlit garden, and there is Ikora, speaking, laughing, nodding… Look, Ikora, LOOK AT ME, DON’T YOU SEE IT —
Pay attention, pay ATTENTION, I taught you better than this —
A woman — an Exo — sits before me and sways, eyes vacant, but inside she is sinking as well… now her voice, her TRUE voice, humming, a gyre of sound, and the Exo sways faster and faster —
I hear his voice and push to the surface. Saint. No no NO I scream but there is no sound. He looks into her eyes, he smiles, he reaches for me but it is not me, Saint, that is not ME, PLEASE, please —
I am weeping but I cannot weep. I am nothing, only heat and hate, only sickness and shame.
“Trust me,” I hear my voice say, and I drown again.
Now, remembering that Osiris is mortal since the death of his ghost Sagira, he can no longer be resurrected, he only has one body now, and if that body is destroyed… then that’s it. Bearing that in mind, think back to the ending of the mission which opened Season of the Lost. Savathun as Osiris steps off screen and begins changing into her true form (which is a lot bigger than Osiris) until Mara Sov steps in and contains her. So Osiris has to be dead right? We know that she was using Osiris’ real body and presumably it just got destroyed by Savathun’s true form. In fact during the transformation you can even hear what could be argued to be bones crunching and flesh tearing.
Additionally, we know from Witch Queen promotional material that Savathun heavily resembles a moth in her design, therefore it could be argued that Savathun actually used Osiris’ body as a cocoon until her she was ready to emerge. This is further supported by the fact that the opening mission in which her transformation occurs is literally called ‘Cocoon’. The main thing to take away here, is that cocoons are typically not preserved when the insect within finally emerges.
Finally, a few last little bits of evidence. This season also saw the reintroduction of the ‘Spoiler Alert’ sidearm whose description reads: ‘Someone’s going to die.’ Veteran fans will remember that the last time this was introduced was in Warmind, right before the Forsaken expansion in which Cayde-6 *Spoiler Alert* died. It’s reintroduction now implies imminent doom for someone else, and at the moment Osiris is looking like the top pick. On the other hand, if he is actually alive, where is he? Presumably Savathun would be keeping him somewhere, but where would that be? Her former allies have turned on her, she is being hunted by her sister Xivu Arath and the only safety she can find is in the Dreaming city under protection of Mara Sov. There is nowhere that she could reliably hide Osiris without there being a substantial risk of him being found before her worm is exorcised. Unless of course he isn’t actually anywhere.
Right then. The future isn’t looking too good for Osiris. Of course there’s always the chance of the Bungie writers pulling a fast one and Osiris just appears safe and sound at the end of the season, but somehow I doubt it. At this point I think either Osiris will be returned, but not as he was, possibly traumatised and broken as a person from being driven around by a Hive god for a year. Or, he is already dead and Savathun was lying to us, surprise surprise.
Next week we will rescue the final Techeun, and the week after that is the conclusion of the Wayfinder’s Voyage questline. So Savathun’s worm will be exorcised and the real Osiris will be returned to us. Or will he?
Until Next Time.