I don't immediately recall the details of the Nova incident, i.e. exactly how he treated her badly, but I'll say this: no one is perfect, almost everyone acts like an ass at times. What matters most is how they deal with being called on it.
Orion has been becoming more arrogant as he gains power and achievement. We may not have seen the last of him acting in ways that make us question his character. But underneath he is still a good person and will not go down the dark path.
Quite true. Sometimes, it takes a little hindsight to figure out you were acting like a regular turd. Still, as Dorfnutter has pointed out (and meticulously illustrated), I'd say MC's growing arrogance, to the point of near-impudence, has been integrated into the plot since early on. He has been defined from the start by his
wille zur macht, for good and bad, and it's no wonder that, having experienced some success in Eternum and in love, he's got a big head.
I'd expect that being gut shot as a result of this hubris is the crisis that leads to a narrative 'pinch point' in which the MC begins to reassess his priorities. Maybe even has some kind of epiphany about the nature of Eternum itself. My guess is he 'logs on' to Eternum (without equipment) and experiences some kind of out-of-time purgatory, reflecting on the behaviour which led him here, before being healed somehow. Don't think Penny will be the one to do it, though, as Doorknocker suggest. The player may choose to have her learn destructive magic, rather than restorative magic, at the end of the Warthogs Triwizard event. It's also technically possible to leave the server without completing the event.
