"I am… a Barian."

The words that were nearly choked out not long ago were repeated for only the second time on that stormy night in the Barian World. Words that Nasch never thought he'd say in his lifetime. His long-lasting denial only dragged him down further, resulting in a despairing and ironic conclusion. The sheer amount of irony alone was enough to put Nasch over the edge.

His sister understood his turmoil. Nasch shamefully admits to herself that she probably could not comprehend the amount of suffering her brother's been through, but she tries to comfort him. They share a bond that is difficult to understand to many outsiders, so she's confident in her careful choice of words.

"Ryo-" She stops herself, realizing her mistake. The change in names was a change they had to get used to, so the slip-up was forgivable. "Nasch… I know how you feel. This is the path we never expected to face, and you're hurting. I can feel your pain, brother."

Nasch's silence is eerily saddening; The tension molds into despair, adding a wave of uneasiness between the two siblings. The Barian leader is silent not because he doesn't have an answer, but because he's still in an emotional state of shock. All of the revelations that were placed onto him in such a short period of time, and all the responsibilities that he now held…

While his confidence still remained, it stood as only a small percentage of his overall psyche. Despair was a near constant emotion in his recent months, but it usually took backstage to a variety of rather pleasant emotions he experienced. Nasch recalls the times he experienced happiness, pleasure, and overall joy in his life. They weren't emotions he was ready to let go of yet.

He wasn't surprised to learn that he could trace all of these intense feelings back to his friends, but most of all… Tsukumo Yuma.

Coming to this realization only took a turn for the worse, in a way which Nasch found himself digging deeper into angst. The feelings that he holds so dearly towards Yuma… Could he really hold onto them in the state he's in right now?

There's a moment where Merag hesitates physical contact, unsure if the action would be reassuring or not. Instead, she decides to go with her words. "You want to see him, don't you?"

There's another moment of pause, before Nasch looks glances upward, a rather solemn glint in his eyes. "Yes."

Figures. Her brother's feelings are quite obvious at times, and she could read him like a book. Barian form or not, Nasch's expressions could be read in his eyes. "You-"

"But not like this."

And Merag knows that better than anyone else. She doesn't want her brother to be in pain anymore, but watching him like this only made her realize that this fate they held was anything but sad. She doesn't want Nasch to cry anymore, even if Barians cannot shed tears. She knows he's crying on the inside, with all that pent-up anger and sadness piling up how could he not be despairing internally?

A broken man, that's what Nasch is. A broken man that begs to be fixed, even if he's the one that made everything broken to begin with.

"He's going to learn everything soon…" Merag speaks softly, sitting a little closer to her brother. "Are you prepared to face that challenge?"

Oh, what a question.

"…Yes."

A silly word, practically fitting for a terrible lie.

Of all the challenges he has faced, Nasch realizes that he will never, ever be ready for Yuma to learn about who he really is. It is an unavoidable fate, one in which the Barian leader is truly in despair over.

He does not weep tears of sadness in this form, but suffers the pain and turmoil all the same.

The Barian leader is quite the broken man, indeed.