The Eye of the Storm

This thematic and character thread explores how Duccio’s reputation shapes the people around him and how Marco finally rejects the superstition he helped spread.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Unspeakable’s Reputation

The Unspeakable’s Reputation A name imposed After Tavella’s injury, people treat Duccio as a source of bad luck. Each later accident near him appears to confirm the story, while ordinary counterexamples are ignored. Superstition organizes fear The rumor offers a simple explanation for misfortune. Marco resists it, but others elaborate the “eye of the storm” theory to explain why he seems safe beside Duccio. The reputation becomes socially real even if its supernatural basis remains unproved.

The Eye’s Protective Myth

The Eye’s Protective Myth A convenient theory Friends claim that a person near Duccio is safe at the center of the storm, while anyone who moves away risks disaster. The explanation allows them to continue fearing Duccio while accepting Marco’s presence beside him. Marco’s defiance Marco uses the theory to mock their superstition and defend his friendship. Yet he also enjoys the exceptional status of being able to defy the group without social punishment. The myth protects both his friendship and his self-image, making his later betrayal more consequential.

The Flight as Apparent Proof

The Flight as Apparent Proof Words remembered after disaster Duccio warns passengers that they are already dead, then leaves the aircraft with Marco. When the flight crashes, the sequence appears to validate the omen. Silence leaves rumor intact The men do not explain that they had escaped. Without a mundane account of their departure, the story can harden into proof of supernatural power. Chance becomes a legend because the people who could complicate the legend remain silent.

A Paid Bearer of Misfortune

A Paid Bearer of Misfortune A reputation put to work Duccio tells Marco that he now accepts money to bring bad luck. He has turned the identity once imposed on him into a profession, using his presence as a service people believe can injure others. Marco rejects the premise Duccio warns that he has been hired against Marco, but Marco stays. He apologizes for the role he played in Duccio’s exile without conceding that the curse is real. Their encounter separates Marco’s moral guilt from the supernatural story used to describe it.

The Unlucky Man’s Reversal

The Unlucky Man’s Reversal Two lives compared Marco sees Duccio as an old, isolated man, while he himself remains active and connected to Miraijin. He recognizes how different their futures have become despite their shared youth and survival. Luck yields to strength Marco tells Duccio that wolves do not kill unfortunate deer but weak ones. The line reframes his survival as more than a lucky escape: endurance and care have left him with a future to protect. The exchange offers no restoration of their lost friendship, but it gives Marco a final answer to the old curse.

Adolescence, after Duccio’s ski-race omen

Late 1970s, while Marco remains Duccio’s close friend

1979, after the plane crash becomes known

February 29, 2016, at the gambling gathering

Near the ending, during Marco’s final account of the game