Warning: spoilers ahead for Daryl Dixon season 2, episode 1.Something very sinister is about to befall Laurent, Daryl’s surrogate son, in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2. The entire first season of Norman Reedus’ The Walking Dead spinoff involved escorting prodigious Rubik’s Cube-solver Laurent to the Nest – a fortified stronghold of religious survivors based at Mont-St-Michel in France. After trekking across France in season 1, Daryl would have hoped that he could relax in season 2. Inevitably, he isn’t so lucky, as Daryl Dixon season 2, episode 1, immediately confirms the journey was a giant waste of time.

The Nest and its leader, Losang, now appear far more villainous than they did during Daryl Dixon season 1’s ending. Having already placed ridiculously high expectations on the youngster by proclaiming him their fated leader, the Nest’s higher-ups begin putting pressure on Laurent to become the idol they’ve already decided he is. Afraid Laurent will be more interested in practicing the art of zombie-killing alongside Daryl, the Nest proposes bringing forward a “ritual” as part of Laurent’s ascension to the top job. Exactly what said ritual involves remains unclear, but since this is The Walking Dead, cake and dancing are unlikely.

What Laurent’s “Ritual” In Daryl Dixon Season 2 Could Actually Be

Is Laurent’s Ritual A Sacrifice Or A Test In Daryl Dixon Season 2?

The secretive and unsettling vibe surrounding the Nest in Daryl Dixon season 2’s premiere all but confirms the ritual is something dangerous, and that Daryl Dixon himself would not approve if he knew the details. On the other hand, there is no doubting that Losang and his followers revere Laurent and want him to survive, so the ritual cannot be something as grotesquely ruthless as murdering the boy in a sacrificial ceremony.

Daryl and Isabelle are unlikely to relish the idea of Laurent being forced to endure such hardship on the orders of their supposed allies.

One possibility is that a different Daryl Dixon spinoff character is scheduled to be sacrificed in a way that allows Laurent to supposedly fulfill his destiny. One Nest higher-up noted how Losang himself was not ready for the ritual, which could indicate that it involves the settlement’s current leader dying so that Laurent can rise into his position. Alternatively, Laurent may need to forego all personal attachments before leading the Nest, meaning Daryl and Isabelle are the sacrifices and Laurent must give the order.

Away from sacrificing characters, it’s possible that the ritual will demand Laurent pass some kind of test. Rather than a straightforward pop quiz, Laurent’s exam will likely carry far more risk. The Nest’s residents truly believe Laurent is some mythic figure with immunity to The Walking Dead‘s zombie virus – an assumption largely based on how he survived being born to a mother who reanimated. As such, Laurent may be expected to walk through a gauntlet of undead and survive, or perform some other kind of unreasonable miracle.

The consequences of failure will be dire for Laurent, either because the ritual puts him in direct danger, or because the Nest will turn against Laurent if he cannot perform as expected. In any eventuality, Daryl and Isabelle are unlikely to relish the idea of Laurent being forced to endure such hardship on the orders of their supposed allies.

The Nest’s Ritual Could Be How Laurent’s Story Ends In The Walking Dead

Will Laurent Survive Until Daryl Dixon Season 3?

AMC previously confirmed that Daryl Dixon season 3 will take place in Spain, moving away from the show’s initial location of France. It is also known, via the official synopsis, that Spain is just a stop on Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier’s longer journey back to Alexandria. While a smattering of new cast members have been announced for Daryl Dixon season 3, Louis Puech Scigliuzzi’s Laurent is not yet confirmed to be among them, and neither is Clémence Poésy’s Isabelle, leaving question marks hanging over their fates in the Walking Dead franchise.

Only Norman Reedus (Daryl) and Melissa McBride (Carol) have been officially carried over into Daryl Dixon season 3 at the time of writing.

If Laurent and Isabelle do perish in Daryl Dixon season 2, the ritual could be how it happens. If the ritual proves fatal for Laurent, perhaps Isabelle dies attempting to save her nephew, then Daryl Dixon will take whatever measures necessary to avenge them in the remaining episodes of season 2. That would, in turn, leave Daryl’s calendar open for a Spanish excursion in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3.