This is going to be a bit longer. But before I get into responses: Kanna does not rule over the whole world. She heals the whole world, but she’s only Queen over a small portion of the US. That’s my fault. I thought I’d put that in either Act 3 or Act 4, but I did not! So it’s good to know you’ve been under this assumption, because that absolutely NEEDS to be clarified. I could have sworn I’d put the USSO (United Sovereign States of Oregonia) somewhere in the text, but OMFG I did not. I will fix that. NO. No no no no no, she is not Queen of the whole world, nor will she ever be (and that’s not a spoiler. She can’t even handle a small portion of the US). Even Keisuma has not yet seen her conquest to fruition. She’s starting on the mainland, and building her armies. I haven’t decided how far she’s gotten by this point, but we’ll learn more later.

Okay.

VERY MUCH SPOILER AREA BELOW. ANYONE NOT WANTING ANY INKLING OF SPOILER SHOULD NOT READ.

“She is apparently under the impression that her excision from the timeline would prevent her eventual loss of emotional stability and demonic possession, which speaks volumes about her judgment and suitability for leadership.”

No, she is not suitable. Not that she ever wanted to be queen of anything (not going into that right now). I don’t want to go into details (I will get into some, obviously), but by the time she gives the order to claim her life, she’s suffered not only the traumas of loss and war, but also being conscious as a creature forces her to sin against herself and others. As a person of faith, she would have had years to wonder if her use of magic lead to the punishment of possession. Hers is a mind of guilt. A world with Keisuma is clearly a world worse off than one without: regardless of her healing. Humankind would have survived without her-though suffered more loss (as outsiders from this story, we as an audience can know Shimiko is not right about everything: and humanity would have lived, though lost more people in the process). With her in the world, humankind may have surmounted the disease sooner, but has traded that for an evil being inflicting pain and suffering (through the farming of black magic), and the possibility of destroying all by unleashing the Dark Horse. This order was given out of desperation. To her, it is a selfless act, as people have a better chance without her. Which is worse? Kanna decides Keisuma.

There’s two more things she’s considered: one, dying while innocent may be the only way to save her soul: to become a martyr versus a ravager (be it her fault or not, she blames herself). So we might think she’s unfair, and it is definitely selfish to put that order onto Odysseus (though when we learn more, we’ll see she was also thinking of his suffering), but if your very soul is on the line, she’d rather take her chances. And if she’s wrong, she figures she’s still saving those who would suffer at the hands of Keisuma (including her friends and allies). She’s willing to go to Hell to save others. At that point, she figures she’s damned if she does, and damned if she doesn’t.

The other thing she’s considered is that the only way she knows to get Shimiko to intervene so her (Kanna’s) powers can awaken, is to send Odysseus to the past. Her faith and Shimiko all impressed that fates are sealed: Judas had free will, but also did not. Even knowing, even being told that someone would betray Jesus, he did what he did: this is a concept she will be struggling with. She wants to fight against her fate, even though Shimiko says what’s come to pass can’t be changed (Shimiko says Kanna’s the only way humans survive. Kanna trusts, but also questions if this is true. Her reasons for doubt contain spoilers). But she also reasons that if it can’t be changed, she must play her part and set into motion that which brings about her awakening. It’s a paradox, and she’s at a loss what to do. But sending Yulie back is twofold: if this is the only way to get Shimiko involved (because he’s the only one Kanna can reach, and he’s the one Kanna knows finds her), she must send him back. But she has been told not to reveal the past to him, so she will not tell him the details (besides, she has little time to speak with him at the times she can reach him-which I am not discussing here—and she’d be hard pressed to convince him to put more on the line than he already has). The other fold is if Shimiko’s wrong, then he may be able to complete her request to sacrifice her so more do not suffer at her hands. She doesn’t truly believe he’ll succeed in killing her. But if there’s a chance, then that would prevent everything. And if there isn’t, then that’s the event which sets into motion the only thing that might defeat Keisuma and the Dark Horse. She already knows what comes to pass, she just couldn’t conceptualize as her younger self just how awful Keisuma was. She sends Odysseus because he’s the only she can reach. I will not expand on that, as it’s important to the story.

“I’m disappointed that her followers (like Dragon) are prioritizing their loyalty to her over any misgivings they may have about her erratic, irrational, and frankly dangerous behavior.”

I’m assuming you just mean her sending Yulie back? Because Kanna goes from normal to influenced over night in Act 4 (we don’t see why she took Odysseus instead of Oisin to the ruins, nor why Rhina’s gone. He asks at the dig site, but she doesn’t give an answer). So I’m only addressing Yulie.

We’ll learn more about Odysseus’ actual story much later. He’s not lying, but he’s omitting a lot. I don’t want to give away major plot points, but suffice to say he’s nothing to lose. Is he loyal to a fault? Or does he have his own agenda? Either way, he never knew about Shimiko (so how could he know she’d try to kill him?) and while he was ready to follow Kanna’s order, we see immediately he’s not willing or able to kill a 15 year old.

And it makes me wonder why Dragon is not only willing to follow her orders, but apparently accepting of her plan as if it has no glaring flaws and even enthusiastic about executing her will.

That’s fine. We haven’t seen all he’s been through. But Shimiko has.

And yet, Odysseus tried and failed to Kanna (he clearly didn’t try very hard). In part because he’s under a curse and a terrible fighter, but in part because his heart’s not in it. We’ll see why and how future Kanna convinces him to go to the past. But when he left the “future” (which is actually the present. That will be important later), he is under the impression he’s forced to save the world from the Dark Horse and Keisuma. Right or wrong, that’s his purpose. But even with all his seething hatred for Keisuma, he can’t kill a teenager and tries other plans to prevent Keisuma’s awakening as a way to avoid having to murder anyone. He has time, since it is summer of 1999 when he finds them.

I agree I need to change his enthusiasm in these early acts. But most of your questions will be answered. Pacing we’ve discussed. There’s nothing more I can say on that topic that I haven’t already.