Soul of Lost Undead

I lit the bonfire.

  I remember having a rather profound reflective moment, shortly after I finished Dark Souls (the first). I remember telling my friend that I'd finally defeated Gwyn, and lit the bonfire and finished the game. I had fulfilled the "prophecy" of the Chosen Undead and rekindled the First Flame, the undead curse has been lifted(?) and the Age of Fire had been restored. The End.

[This post contains spoilers for Dark Souls I]

  My friend, who had already plundered much of the game's depths, then proceeded to explain the finer points of the plot to me. Told me things that I hadn't noticed before, or thought to question. It made me realise that I could have decided to end the game differently, after defeating Gwyn. I had a choice that I didn't even realise was available because I was too busy just following the game's objectives. The most interesting things about the game's setting and plot are subtle and, half the time, outright hidden from the player.

  You see, you start out being told that you must restore order to the land by doing X, Y and Z to ultimately reignite the First Fire, which had started to wane. Restore power to the rulers and save the humans, who have become afflicted with a curse that turned them into undead. There are a series of events, partway through the game, that you can trigger that will lead to the player meeting someone who tells you that, actually, the fire is meant to go out. It is the natural course of things for the Age of Fire to end, and the curse is a sign that ushers in the Age of Dark, where humans will rule the land. And this was a secret that the game kept from me by playing on the expectations of gamers, I felt. 

  It worked on me. It wasn't until my friend revealed the hidden plot to me that I'd realised I was merely a pawn, manipulated by the people in power to maintain the status quo because they didn't want to let anyone else have their position. I'd unwittingly consigned humanity to being forever bottom-rung of Lordran. And I really didn't like it. 

  I don't possess any kind of traditionist mentality. I don't believe that "because it's how we've always done it" or "this is how it's always been" are at all valid reasons for things to not change. I believe in change and progress. So the fact that I was basically tricked into restoring things to the way they were, preventing what would have otherwise been a natural (possibly positive) progression of power towards humanity, didn't sit well with me at all.

  It kind of reminded me of a significant portion of my adolescent life - blindly doing things because it seemed like what I was supposed to be doing, and not really contemplating that an alternative may have existed, let alone one I might have been happier with. But, no, It was just: 

1.  Be good at school and be good at exams. 
2.  Do well and go to university and get a degree. 
3.  ???? 
4.  Profit. 

  Except I find myself being left at #3 and have not quite worked out how to get to #4.

  What are some of your most profound videogame moments, friends?