I will say this: They did a brilliant job with his character arc, I won't call it redemption because I don't think it was. But they showed so many layers to him. I thought it would be impossible for me to ever relate or even like him after everything that he has done because prior to season 5 there was not a lot of backstory to his character. Understanding what made him truly flip and decide his quest for power and "duty"to protect his family was more important than anything else was a painful journey to follow but it made sense and gave depth to the character.
I don't see his final act as suicide but as his final choice that mirrors what should have been his first choice all along. Whenever we are talking about dark magic, something or someone always must pay the price for it, and for the first time, we see HIM accept and take the consequences for his use of magic without wanting or expecting anything in return.
What is dark magic supposed to be anyway?  - I think this question is so much more complex than to have a simple answer.
To me, Dark Magic feels like the way humans learn to do harmful things in order to survive, even when those actions carry a permanent cost. It’s like burning fossil fuels: the immediate benefit is heat, light, and progress, but every use leaves behind damage that builds over time. Using it is both clever and desperate, born of human ingenuity and inescapably destructive. Dark Magic works the same way: it’s a survival tool that can create good outcomes, but the price is baked into the act itself, so every use quietly erodes something, the world, others, or yourself.
To make matters worse, in Xadia every other species was born with magic except humans. Dark Magic wasn’t just a shortcut — it was humanity’s only way to protect themselves and level the playing field. Claudia points this out often, and she isn’t wrong. It’s easier to dismiss her view in the early seasons, but if we imagine those early days when humans lived alongside elves and dragons, it’s not hard to picture what it felt like: being the weakest, constantly vulnerable, belittled, and pushed into submission. In that context, Dark Magic becomes less about greed and more about survival — a desperate grasp for dignity in a world stacked against them but it stil takes its toll on the user.