Character from The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan
Shai'tan — the primordial force of evil imprisoned outside the Pattern, clawing at the seals on his prison, reaching through dreams and darkness to break the world and remake it in his image.
The Dark One is not a character in the traditional sense — he's a cosmic force, the embodiment of evil and entropy, sealed outside the Pattern by the Creator at the moment of creation. His prison was drilled open during the Age of Legends by researchers who didn't understand what they'd found, and Lews Therin's imperfect patch has been weakening ever since. He works through agents — the Forsaken, the Darkfriends, the Black Ajah — because he can't directly touch the world while imprisoned. His touch manifests as the taint on saidin, as the corruption of the Blight, as the whispers in dreams that turn good people to his service. He doesn't negotiate; he offers power and demands obedience. The final battle with Rand is not physical — it's philosophical, a contest of visions for what the world should be. The Dark One's argument is that freedom leads to suffering, and Rand's counter is that suffering is the price of choice.
Has no true physical form. Manifests as absolute darkness, a voice that bypasses ears and speaks directly to the soul, a pressure against reality that makes the air taste wrong. At Shayol Ghul, his presence warps the Pattern itself — time stutters, the laws of nature break down, and the stone bleeds. In the final confrontation with Rand, he shows possible futures as weapons.
Also known as: the Dark One, Shai'tan, the Great Lord of the Dark, Father of Lies, Lord of the Grave