Singularity: Arator searches the Void for his parents—but can he trust what he sees?

Arator’s search continues, but a sword alone will not help him this time. In Singularity, Blizzard’s October 23 motion comic, he confronts the Void under Umbric’s guidance while seeking his missing parents. Amid Midnight’s cosmic war, the premise raises a personal question: how do you stay clear-headed when you want an answer more than anything else?

The official video runs for 6 minutes and 10 seconds, with Yuri Lowenthal voicing Arator. You can also read Blizzard’s PDF comic. Below, we begin with background that does not reveal the ending, followed by a brief spoiler section and our interpretation.

Watch Singularity

The video comes from the official World of Warcraft channel. Robert Brooks wrote the comic and Joseph Lacroix illustrated it; the PDF credits Marco Locati for colors and AndWorld Design for lettering. Official announcement and download link.

Why Arator’s journey matters

Arator is the son of Alleria Windrunner and Turalyon. Midnight’s earlier official questline overview put his development at its center: Alonsus Faol sends him to find relics of the Light, while he considers his relationship with his family and his calling as a paladin. The journey takes in Light’s Hope Chapel, Scarlet Monastery and Hammerfall before confronting the weight of his father’s legacy.

That background gives the new story an appeal beyond identifying the next major villain. A hero’s parent may be a historical figure to everyone else, but to their child, they are first someone they want back. It is fertile ground for a story in which heroism and the longing for a loved one pull in different directions.

Wielding the Light does not answer every question

The official introduction to Immolation already raised the danger of unchecked righteous fury and Xal’atath’s pressure on Arator. That earlier concern offers a useful lens for Singularity: how can a paladin know that his own certainty will lead to the right decision?

For us, the interesting feature of this premise is how it places responsibility on the person wielding a power. Good intentions do not establish whether an impression is reliable or an action considered. Fantasy can express this through glowing eyes and cosmic darkness, but the underlying problem is familiar: fear can make someone hurry precisely when they should pause.

Spoilers: what does the lesson leave behind?

The following paragraph discusses the PDF comic’s ending. Umbric takes Arator to Telogrus Rift to practice facing the Void. Visions exploit his fear and bring him close to striking his teacher. Afterwards, Arator recognizes the danger but intends to keep training to find his parents. The comic does not establish Alleria’s or Turalyon’s location through those visions. Singularity, pages 5–12.

Our reading is to see a distinction between determination and certainty. The former can sustain a difficult search; the latter can make someone a poor listener. Can a hero acknowledge what he does not understand without losing the hope that keeps him going? That is a question worth carrying into the next Midnight story.

Three things to watch for

• Whose perspective are you following? Separate a character’s experience from what the story establishes as an event.
• What makes accepting help difficult? Consider how you would respond to being told to wait when someone close to you was missing.
• What changes on a second viewing? Read the PDF at your own pace after the video, then compare your interpretation with your first impression.

Singularity offers a short return to Midnight’s story without requiring a long play session. For us, its most interesting continuing question concerns the person Arator will become as his search goes on.