To be clear, there is no answer to this puzzle at this stage. The descriptions of the age of darkness as specified at the Eclipse don't leave us with much to cling to. But I wanted to lay out everything we (think) we know about the age of darkness, and see if we can come to a kind of broad consensus about the topic.
THE CASE FOR THE PAST
By the definition laid out by the God Hand, the earliest the Age of Darkness could begin is after Femto's birth as the fifth and final member. The years that followed were undeniably darker than the Golden Age due primarily to three massive occurrences — the spread of the plague, the tumultuous post-Hundred Years War economy, and of course the Kushan incursion. Amidst all of these things, life got progressively worse for the people (at least in Midland...) very shortly after the appearance of the Red Lake. But for subscribers of this theory, there's a ray of hope. The black clouds that enshroud humanity will soon be parted by the appearance of the Falcon of Light!
THE CASE FOR THE PRESENT
The next chapter in the Age of Darkness' likely footprint is where we currently sit. The God Hand has monopolized human survival by inviting an apocalypse onto the world. Astral creatures roam and terrorize the unprepared humans, destroying any hope of foothold for human civilization outside Falconia's walls. The splendor within Falconia has even ensnared a few readers of Berserk, but that's only because Miura has been so coy about life outside the walls. There is no reason to believe it's anything but a wasteland for humans now. That's pretty dark. What also makes this theory convincing to me is that "Age" implies a clear cut ending for the former way of life. The blast of the astral world certainly provided one. The current way of life makes the former one, in the shadow of the Golden Age, look almost cute. But there's still a big unknown ahead of us, and that's the horizon as envisioned by the God Hand.
THE CASE FOR THE FUTURE
The God Hand needed five members before they could execute their master plan. And while Femto has certainly been the busiest on the surface since he arrived on the stage, most of the happenings of the other members have been shrouded in mystery. Certainly we saw a few of them contribute to the overall decay of the world, shaping the conditions that paved the path for Griffith's ascent as de facto leader of humanity. But will that be their only role? Infernal infrastructure workers? Probably not! The God Hand have a plan for the world, and since the story began, we've seen the scales tip away from humans having agency in their own futures in favor of the God Hand having more express control. For 1,000 years, the God Hand has operated from the shadows, subtly manipulating humanity's story like pieces on a chessboard. Perhaps the TRUE Age of Darkness will be a time in which the God Hand are empowered to the extent that even the whiff of free will that humanity currently possesses will be snuffed out entirely.
THE CASE FOR ALL OF THE ABOVE
This kinda speaks for itself, but every domino that has fallen for humanity since Femto took up residence as the fifth member of the God Hand has placed them one step away from humanity having agency, and being in control of their own destinies. Countries can't exist anymore, except through the will of Griffith. That's a shitty place to be.
THE CASE FOR THE PAST
By the definition laid out by the God Hand, the earliest the Age of Darkness could begin is after Femto's birth as the fifth and final member. The years that followed were undeniably darker than the Golden Age due primarily to three massive occurrences — the spread of the plague, the tumultuous post-Hundred Years War economy, and of course the Kushan incursion. Amidst all of these things, life got progressively worse for the people (at least in Midland...) very shortly after the appearance of the Red Lake. But for subscribers of this theory, there's a ray of hope. The black clouds that enshroud humanity will soon be parted by the appearance of the Falcon of Light!
THE CASE FOR THE PRESENT
The next chapter in the Age of Darkness' likely footprint is where we currently sit. The God Hand has monopolized human survival by inviting an apocalypse onto the world. Astral creatures roam and terrorize the unprepared humans, destroying any hope of foothold for human civilization outside Falconia's walls. The splendor within Falconia has even ensnared a few readers of Berserk, but that's only because Miura has been so coy about life outside the walls. There is no reason to believe it's anything but a wasteland for humans now. That's pretty dark. What also makes this theory convincing to me is that "Age" implies a clear cut ending for the former way of life. The blast of the astral world certainly provided one. The current way of life makes the former one, in the shadow of the Golden Age, look almost cute. But there's still a big unknown ahead of us, and that's the horizon as envisioned by the God Hand.
THE CASE FOR THE FUTURE
The God Hand needed five members before they could execute their master plan. And while Femto has certainly been the busiest on the surface since he arrived on the stage, most of the happenings of the other members have been shrouded in mystery. Certainly we saw a few of them contribute to the overall decay of the world, shaping the conditions that paved the path for Griffith's ascent as de facto leader of humanity. But will that be their only role? Infernal infrastructure workers? Probably not! The God Hand have a plan for the world, and since the story began, we've seen the scales tip away from humans having agency in their own futures in favor of the God Hand having more express control. For 1,000 years, the God Hand has operated from the shadows, subtly manipulating humanity's story like pieces on a chessboard. Perhaps the TRUE Age of Darkness will be a time in which the God Hand are empowered to the extent that even the whiff of free will that humanity currently possesses will be snuffed out entirely.
THE CASE FOR ALL OF THE ABOVE
This kinda speaks for itself, but every domino that has fallen for humanity since Femto took up residence as the fifth member of the God Hand has placed them one step away from humanity having agency, and being in control of their own destinies. Countries can't exist anymore, except through the will of Griffith. That's a shitty place to be.