I genuinely forget Elias is evil sometimes; like, I don’t forget he’s a murderer, but it’s so far from my mind to do a moral reading of his actions that it’s a shock to remember people don’t sympathise with him. “He ended the world.” Yeah, and? He was coping.
Level 0: Elias is evil, so I hate him.
Level 1: Elias is evil, but I still enjoy him as a character.
Level 2: Elias is evil, but I understand his actions even if I don’t condone them.
Level 3: Elias is evil, and that’s sexy of him.
Level 4: But I was so caught up in the euphoria of Elias being a prey who made himself into a predator that for a moment I forgot morals in fiction are important to some people.