I already made previous post's on Alissa's social situation, but we already removed Ryn's cage at the end of the quest. And how would that coincide with not being able to give her soul back? It's not like using it shatter's the lethacite, we can give it back to her at anytime.
i believe what they meant (i skimmed through some of the end of that process in game) was like you mention it doesn't destroy the lethacite, therefore if she was in a redemption arc, you wouldn't have to go the extra mile for one, like for kas or others.
There are certainly some demons in-game that are less bad than others, but Alissa went from someone already displaying a number of anti-social behaviors to a full-fledged sociopath with no hope rehabilitation as she is now.
i'm not really a morally upstanding person but i still stand by the opinion that alissa is not particularly special in terms of evil. i love kas but really
seeing her actions/possible future actions/seeing reactions if you don't do exactly what she wants, and really understanding the type of place that would be made if theoretically the world was corrupted or her companion warping came to pass, it ain't good, chief. the emotional abuse and damage that etheryn goes through would be replicated and multiplied throughout the world except most likely with no hope, and some companions like brienne would be mostly a "bonus" for the character (and if player turned demon and then was the one that turned brienne it could be a consensual twilight-ish situation) and they seem to be in control, but some like cait would have to be completely mentally broken and forced to live their life a way they don't choose or want to. etheryn again on a wide scale.
imo it's a case of if kas can be redeemed and supported regardless of all that she is and does, then the others at least have the chance to also, if not then kas needs to be held responsible by the player. avoiding spoilers however, woven into the game at the highest level, redemption as a concept or practice seems to be very prominent, with characters who've participated in mass destruction getting second chances and extreme power on top of it and there being nothing the player can do about it besides accept it or not and not have the power to do anything about it. so even if the player was to deliver unfeeling justice, the biggest culprits would have immunity. it would eventually just make you feel yucky to not strive to give other people chances or help them become something better and useful to the world since most likely the ones most needing to answer for their crimes and deceit will go unchallenged. (but then that would also lead to the player being responsible for chaos and blood but that's bit too much text and would require full spoiling)
