Author's note: Please recall the experiences Ilia underwent in the game, as well as those she did not.
Every night Ilia looks out her window. Every night she can see him on his roof, an indistinct silhouette facing the distance. She knows in her heart that he faces the far-off desert, faces a memory he can't forget. As much as he can't let go, neither can she. She knows it's a lost cause, but their village is a small, insular world. Her past, present and future have always been tied to him. Only...now that she's seen that ferocity, that wild beast inside him, she's not sure that's what she wants anymore.
Maybe she'll travel. Broaden her horizons. Find something, someone else to give her heart to. But she knows the world is dangerous, has experienced it first hand. She knows the thought is a pipe dream, as fantastic as the stories her daddy told her of cities flying high in the sky full of winged folk, worlds without war or evil, tales of paupers marrying princesses. She knows that she'll likely live her whole life in their small village, maybe marry a nice man from the next village over or one of their other neighbors.
Ilia knows that in the real world, there are no happy endings.