So what is the darkness? It's a bunch of worms! Just kidding, it's a lot more involved than that. If you read/know what the book of sorrows says, you figure out that Destiny has a great story. Long story short, the Traveler was on the Hive home world, and it's followers were killed by the hive. Then it's been chased ever since. Three Hive Wizards made a deal with some dark worm gods, which put little worms in them. If they don't destroy things and feed them, the would die. The good thing about them though, is that they make you immortal. Oryx is one of the Wizards. Wizards are chicks btw, but Oryx is like a butterfly and changed, blah blah blah (insert mean Caitlyn Jenner joke) The ideal that goes with the worms is that life is pointless if you are mortal. You can't survive being happy. You must kill and train and destroy to become stronger. You must prepare for the inevitable. Also the one thing that drives Oryx, is that he wants to answer a question. He was a warrior, or a mother, he was a navigator. He wanted to travel the stars. How does someone like that become the leader. He was just curious. Curiosity, the desire to know more, and not being satisfied with what you know. Learning more and not accepting. Not being content. Being content is easy, relaxed, happy. What is the darkness? Curiosity, the need to survive so that you can know what happens next. Curiosity killed the cat. Cats have nine lives. Nine, recognize that number? The legendary nine guardians? I don't think there is a direct correlations, just the fact that the number 9 is powerful in this game. Bungie loves little hints. Maybe that's one. It loves making people curious. Let's think about the companies past. The biggest mystery in all of Bungie history is what does Master Chief look like? Aren't you curious? Curious out fuels you to keep playing the games, but you never know. It consumes you. Just like the Darkness... If you like this idea, believe in it, or just think it's neat, please share with everyone you know!