There was one incident... the one he forgot, the one so painful he pushed it into the back of his memory so that he could no longer feel the pain anymore. It seems that the more people you care about die, the more numb you become. This was Seth's real first pain. It was his first loss, the loss of his wife.
If you're thinking Seth just permanently existed in the position of perpetual leader of Septarsis since the beginning, you'd be wrong. Like those before him, following down from the founders of Septarsis, were lizards in his wake. Seth was a young man once, nearly a millennia ago, and at one point, was even considered attractive. Seth was also once a nobody though, a lowly soldier, sent through the grunt and the mud of training, and to fight for the lizard army of Septarsis was to be a man. There were no ifs ands or buts about it. It wasn't true that only men would fight for Septarsis though.
There was a woman, one infamous among many, for being, questionably, one of the greatest warriors that ever existed, and her name was Lily. Lily, short for Lilian, was the fiercest female fighter to ever hit the battlefield. Her abilities in battle were only matched by her looks. One day, when Seth had been transferred for disobeying the direct order of their company commander, he was sent to the main Septarsis outpost where "Lilian" would take him and whip his smug ass into shape.
Seth: Lilian? I'm not afraid of someone named Lilian. Lilian's a girl's name.
At the time, Seth wasn't quite aware that Lilian was, in fact female. He thought for sure that Lilian was either an ironic nickname, or the very unfortunate name of some meat-neck of a lizard with parental issues. Seth scoffs at the whole ordeal, and makes his way to Septarsis outpost. Seth arrives at the gate, adorned in but a mere sienna tunic, some chest armor, and the garb his sender offers gave him. Seth stands there with a smug grin on his face as other men in a group call him over.
Soldier 1: Hey, new guy, over here.
Seth: What's up, fellas?
Soldier 1: We're off-duty right now, but we're fresh meat too. This Lilian, I hear, is a real hard-ass.
Seth: I've seen those kinds before. Arrogant blowhards, so full of steam. Well, all you gotta do is let some holes in them and there you go, they start flying around making little fart sounds as the air comes out.
Soldier 2: Not this one. This one, they call Lilian, is the worst of the absolute worst we hear.
Seth: Lemme tell ya guys, I probably ain't even gonna be here all that long. As soon as I get this "Lilian" all riled up, they'll be sending me away just like the bad egg I am.
Soldier 2: Why don't they just kick you out?
Seth: From what I understand, they need people. They need 'em to keep out that Queen of Fire. Now her, I never seen her, but if what they say is true, and she's some kind of witch queen, I want nothing to do with her. So here I am, getting myself sent between all these camps and, well, it's free travel, guys. I get to see the whole country on behalf of the lizard army.
Another soldier walks up to them.
Soldier 3: You fresh meats are wasting your time. Lilian will most certainly not cave. If you ever get to meet Lilian, you'll come to see why.
The three go about their ways. Seth will be Seth, and utilize his position to egg on his superiors, as well as continue to just be a general thorn in the side of the whole company. Pranks are unfolded while he plays dumb. One day, he causes a massive slop-fight in the cafeteria of the outpost, causing 3 men to slip and fall on slop and utter chaos to ensue, with everyone fighting each other and Seth laughing his butt off as slop globs him right in the face.
Sergeant Lerendius, a noticeably wall-shaped Septarian with a bad attitude, wakes up at 3 o clock in the morning, ready for drills on his troops only to find that his trousers have been hoisted all the way to the top of the flagpole to hang with the long dragon flag, an utter embarrassment. Seth merely looks and played dumb as usual. Lerendius, needless to say, is so furious that smoke is coming out of his ears. It is this particular incident that results in "Lilian" first showing up.
The troops are organized well in advance and Seth is so excited. He can hardly wait to meet this Lilian, and make life a living hell. What happens next is something that changes his life forever. Seth stares out the door with that smug look as Lilian is introduced as if the Queen of Fire herself has arrived. Seth paints the picture in his mind of the kind of poor loser that would have a name like Lilian. From the moment that Lilian steps through the door, people's eyes all looked on in fear, all of them except for Seth that is.
He looks at her, utterly puzzled, completely dumbstruck and bewildered. She walks in, a tall, elegant but muscular creature, a female Septarian unlike he'd ever seen. She wears a metal cuirass that frames her physique as well as breasts, reaching around to pauldrons that wrap around her smooth, but battle-hardened arms. She is the living, breathing trope of an amazon come to life in that ancient time. She has a grey, almost slightly purple complexion, with coal black hair, orange eyes like a pair of harvest moons, a long, thin, spined tail. Seth never saw anything like her in his whole life. This, is the famed and feared Lilian?
Seth couldn't stop staring at her, even to the point where she walks up to him in utter silence while the rest look forward like dolls.
Lilian: You got an eye problem, maggot?
Seth: No, I uh.
Within less than a second, Seth is all of a sudden on the floor. Her movements are so quick he can't even process what had happened. All he knows was that Lilian is standing above him and all the others are practically dead standing up.
Lilian: So, I hear from Sergeant Lerendius that there's a trouble maker among the troops. I'm very disappointed to hear about that. You know, it's always a last resort that I'm called out here. I'm not like other commanders in the ranks. I think you can all plainly see that. For one, I don't do the whole "yelling" thing.
Loud, bombastic, doesn't really fit who I am as a leader, especially, when the screams of the officials go falling on deafened ears, like those of Mr. Troublemaker over here. And yes, I do know it's you, new cadet #3225, Seth. In case you must know, the amount of lives I've taken in defense of this outpost are countless. With my scimitars, I wield the hope of many, and the despairs of many more. I assure you, Seth, you will disrupt this company no more.
With that, Lilian merely leaves. There are no more words to exchange. There are no more examples to be made. She just leaves, and Seth lays there on the floor as others walk around him. Lerendius marches over to Seth, like a slab of ham in some boots, leans in, and speaks right into Seth's ear
Lerendius: If you know what's good for you, you better stay on that floor until I tell you to get up.
Lerendius leaves Seth on the floor for nearly an entire day, ordering others to watch him before ultimately coming to Seth, and kicking him in the ribs as hard as he could before ordering him to get up.
Lerendius: Get up, you handbag!
Seth: Okay!
Lerendius: Okay, what?
Seth: Okay, sir!
Lerendius: I got my eye on you. You think you can toy with me? Well guess what, now it's my turn to play.
Lerendius makes Seth's life a living hell. He finds the most demeaning and demoralizing duties for him to perform, such as brushing the waste disposal buckets with his own toothbrush (which he obviously never used again), to climbing and polishing the flagpole every morning before the rest of the troops rise so that the glisten of the sun could capture it in all its glory. None of that matters to Seth though, because now, he is smitten. Seth could hardly think of anything other than Lilian for the next few weeks.
Seth: Man, I gotta talk to her.
Seth is absolutely out of his mind, and all the other reptiles make sure to tell him so. Still, he has to tell her. But how do you tell a walking death machine like Lilian "hey, I kinda like you"? Well, you don't, or at least, you don't if you have even the slightest smidgen of common sense. Lilian has made herself a dorm on top of the hill so she could see the outpost from right at her window.
She would personally make sure for the next two weeks that nobody, especially Seth, would make a fuss. One night, after dark, Seth has decided enough is enough. Seth gets out of bed, sneaks around all the other sleeping soldiers and heads out into the frigid cold air. He marches all the way up that hill right to Lilian's doorstep. Several other reptiles watch him from inside their bunkers.
Reptilian Bunk-mate: He's insane! He's gonna get himself killed!
Still, Seth doesn't care. He goes up that hill without a fear in the world, folding his one arm behind his back, and knocks on the door. Nobody, of course, answers the door. All he could hear was silence, only broken by the chirps of crickets in the distance. Next thing Seth knows, he is on the ground once again. He feels a massive throbbing pain pierce his head before realizing what that was was a kick to the skull from behind, with a woman peering at him from above, with her death orbs cutting through his soul.
She brandishes a scimitar right to his neck but that's when he realizes, she is wearing nothing but a nightgown. It is utterly unheard of for a woman to be out in the frigid blast of winder outside in a nightgown to deal with the possibility of an intruder, even for those of reptilian, later Septarian descent.
Lilian: Troublemaker, you have a death wish coming up here and disturbing my sleep. Give me one good reason I shouldn't behead you right now!
Seth: How about twelve?
Seth pulls his arm from behind his back to reveal a handpicked bouquet of dragonily flowers, black, red and orange.
Lilian: What is this? You bring me flowers?
Seth: Dragon lilies, they remind me of you.
Lilian: Give me those. Get back to your barracks or I will use your skull as a headdress.
She then closes the door, leaving Seth just standing there, feeling extremely disappointed, not because she shut him down per se, but for the mere fact that she stopped spending precious time with him. Seth is practically a glutton for her punishment. There's something about a woman of authority that makes Seth happy. Seth strides down to the barracks once more to get back to sleep, sneaking back into his bunk. He then realizes, she hasn't severely punished him as he somewhat hoped.
Seth is disappointed that he didn't visibly seem to leave any lasting impression on her. The next day, however, after Seth had finishes the daily 20 mile round sprint, when Seth is stuck on the lowly duty of mopping the entire cafeteria floor by himself that he had receives a personal message, delivered by a man of the same lowly status as he, a summons, a personal one, right from Lilian. The deliverer of the message looks at Seth like he is a dead man that will never be seen again before departing for his regular post.
Seth: Now, that's more like it.
Seth has been invited right to Lilian's cabin the next night. It was unheard of, but she makes it a personal point that there is nothing romantic about the meeting. Still, Seth goes that following night, making sure to bring with him even more dragonlilies that he found along his 20 mile run right along the river bed. He walks up to the cabin, oozing charisma and confidence, and knocks once again, turning around immediately to address his surroundings before once again meeting a searing pain on the back of his skull courtesy of Lilian.
Lilian: You really don't learn, do you?
Seth: Unless I'm mistaken, you summoned me here.
Lilian: What are you talking about?
Seth hands her the letter addressed to him.
Lilian: Imbecile! This is a forgery! My handwriting looks nothing like this!
Seth: How was I supposed to know?
Lilian: Maggot, you talk to me like I'm some kind of equal! You better start showing respect!
Seth: Or what?
No sooner does the sentence leave Seth's mouth and with a series of strikes, Lilian has removed both of Seth's arms, leaving them on the ground to twitch and wobble.
Seth: ARGH! What the hell?
Lilian shuts the door, leaving Seth to stumble down the hill without any arms. The other Reptilians make fun of Seth the next day, giggling at his nubs where tiny hands have started to sprout from the serrated stubs projecting from his shoulders. This doesn't stop Seth from having to work though, and it only makes it much harder for him to do nearly everything. He can no longer maintain balance while running. He can no longer hold utensils with his hands to feed himself, and practically, has to reduce himself to eating like a dog. It is humiliating, but still, it does not turn him off of Lilian.
By the end of two weeks, Seth's arms have finally fully healed, and with that, he is pulled off to the side one morning as he goes on the 20 mile sprint. It's Lilian, for the first time ever, she comes into his life without injuring him first.
Lilian: I've found the culprit that set us up, the one that forged my writing in an attempt to make fools out of both of us. It's Lerendius. That dog is trying to undermine me, but I will not allow him to have the last laugh.
Seth: So, what will you do?
Lilian: Are you stupid, or crazy?
Seth: Is there an option for "all of the above"?
Lilian: You really don't fear me, do you?
Seth: Why should I? So you can leave me with brain damage and a pair of severed arms, as well as a hurt ego? Who cares? All that stuff will grow back. My noggin, well, we both know I ain't right to begin with. And MY ego, that baby is the size of the sun itself.
Lilian: Perhaps I should cut something off that WON'T grow back.
Seth looks at her, wide eyed, taking in that statement.
Seth: I have no idea what that means...
Seth smiles, blaring his set of piercing white fangs, and getting right in her face.
Seth:_ But that just makes me even MORE excited to see you.
Lilian:...
Seth: You see, Lilian, I've never SEEN a woman like you in my whole life. My mother was subservient to her man, my father. He went out, raised the crops to feed the tykes like myself, defended the house from trespassers, and taught me how to be a man. My mother, well, she tended to the daughters, my sisters, and taught them how to be proper ladies, made the dinner, and she was basically a servant to my father. I'm your typical kid from a family about as dull and as regular as can be.
I get sent off to go be a man, just like my father wants, the young lad called on to fight the good fight from the intruders, and especially, from the Queen of Fire. of course, I've never been one to just ride the straight line of my assumed role in society. I came to realize a long time ago that we, are practically indestructible as creatures. So really, what's so important about obeying anything?
Lilian: Ha ha ha ha! You poor, delusional boy. You really have no idea, do you? This Queen of Fire? I've met her before. She is my rival. It is because of her that I fight like I do. You don't understand anything until you've lost it all. I pray that such a thing never happens to you.
Seth just stands there, bored, scratching behind his ear fin as Lilian lectures him.
Seth: So, what are we gonna do about this forgery situation?
Lilian: Well, you're the joker, so, what's the funniest idea?
Seth: The funniest? Well, the funniest option would be for you to actually date me, and prove this letter correct.
Lilian: Date you?
Seth: Yeah, why not? That's called irony.
Lilian: When you brought me those dragon lilies, why?
Seth: Because, my little dragon lily, I have a massive crush on you.
Lilian blushes.
Seth: Your complexion says you kinda like me back.
Lilian: How dare you make a fool of me?!
Seth: You don't have to pretend. Girls always have that look when they like a guy. Women have these eyes that make them as literate as a novel. I could see it as far back as when you first laid eyes on me in that cafeteria. As subtle as it was, I could see it. You're not very good at hiding that stuff.
Lilian: What do you mean?
Seth: Why the hell are you here hanging around with a bunch of guys that probably haven't seen their girlfriends, or wives, in actual months? Are you trying to get some lizard tail?
With that, Lilian roundhouse kicks Seth, causing him to spin in mid air and land right on his face.
Seth: Man, you gotta teach me how to fight like that.
Lilian: You need to learn to show me some respect. Let me remind you, #3225, I am your superior. I have never been bested by another man and I most certainly will not be bested by a worm like you.
Seth: I wouldn't have it any other way.
Lilian walks away.
Seth: And Lilian, call me Seth.
Lilian stomps away, furiously growling. Seth walks back to his duties and life resumes as normal. Seth is still treated like crap and he still rolls with the punches, never once letting up on that blowhard Lerendius. After about a week, Lilian summons Seth to her cabin again. Once more he brings more dragon lilies. As he approaches the cabin, he is cautious. He looked on the roof, does multiple turns around but then, he thinks for a moment.
Seth closes his eyes, listening, discerning the blow of the cold winter wind from the rustling of the trees, and with it, he finds that moment, the nugget of time to act. She had given herself away, and upon interception of the lunge towards his head, grabs Lilian out of mid-air, slamming her into the ground. She looks up at him in shock and embarrassment, just staring right into his smug yellow orbs as he stands over her head. She is angry.
Seth: Well gee whiz, Lilian, it looks like you just got bested by a worm and now YOU get to eat dirt.
He reaches down, offering to pick her up and she grabs his arm, throwing him down into the dirt with her.
Lilian: Who's eating dirt now?
Seth looks at her. He just starts laughing. He points at her.
Lilian proceeds to get up and sit on Seth's chest as he lay there in the dirt.
Seth: Well, this is compromising.
Before he could even finish the sentence, Lilian leans in to kiss him. To say that the relationship that follows between Lilian (who Seth proceeds to give the nickname Dragonlily) is anything short of scandalous is an understatement. She and Seth are passionately in love, and Seth could see the utter disdain and jealousy in the faces of his compatriots. Seth would spend nights with her at the cabin, but it isn't just all love. She shows him the ropes of her combat. She teaches him the art of the scimitar, the art to the stealthy, quiet and agile combat that she had become a master of, turning Seth into somewhat of a weapon himself. Seth realizes that even a woman that seeks power is still a woman.
Seth refuses to see her as anything but an equal though. He never looks down on her. He never shames her for her desires, or for willing to be a strong woman in a world dominated by men. Seth actually loves her, both bodily and spiritually because of who she is. He loves everything about her, from her domineering personality, for her tendency towards random acts of violence, to her active ferocity and mercilessness in battle, to her outright looks, as well for her ability to somehow mask a gentile and kind figure at the core. He is always honest with her, and she is always honest with him. In time, a minister is brought to the camp, and Seth and Lilian exchange vows of marriage. Together, they assume rule over that military post. Over time, however, more and more reptilians flee the forest for a place to call a sanctuary from the dreaded Queen of Fire. Times are becoming dire.
Lilian is pregnant, and as she grows closer and closer to labor, Seth realizes it is up to him to pick up the mantle. He organizes the troops, orders civilians to start erecting more shelters. Carpenters are put hard to work. Seth actively contributes where he can while Dragonlily, placed into a vulnerable and compromising position prepares for labor. The worst has happened though, as on the horizon, a mad mob of demon knights, led by the Queen of Fire steadily approach the outpost. The Queen and her guards storm the gates, the Queen herself, raising her mighty wand, disintegrates the door as if it were a single piece of paper.
Panic rises inside the base. The Queen of Fire marches in, her knights, with their magic cursed swords, slaughter many of the reptilians in the base. Seth loses countless men that he had become friends with. Even with Dragonlily's superior battle training, the men and their scimitars are evenly matched against the guards, with their fierce magical enhancements. The Queen of Fire has her sights on another, however, her rival, the only one to ever best her in battle, Dragonlily.
A great fear looms in Seth's eyes as she approaches the cabin where his wife is practically a sitting duck for her. Dragonlily sees her approaching and hides her already laid eggs. The Queen of Fire approaches the door, melting it with her presence. Dragonlily, in her compromised labor, battles the Queen with her deadly scimitars. Even in a state of pregnancy, Dragonlily fights with all of the power she can muster. Seth approaches to fight the Queen. Dragonlily is reluctant to have her husband join her in battle. But they fight together anyway. The Queen of Fire, utilizing her wand as a literal flamberge, strikes at Dragonlily, with massive ferocity.
The Queen of Fire screams like an eidolon as she relentlessly bombards the heat-resistant scimitars, Dragonlily weakens further and further with each attack. The Queen of Fire backpedals to deliver a circular wave of fire, that Dragonlily leaps backwards into a flip to avoid. As she lands, she feels pain in her abdomen and Seth moves in to strike the Queen. He lunges at her, slamming his blades into her flamberge wand with thunderous clangs.
Dragonlily goes into labor as Seth becomes surrounded by demon knights, leaving her helpless as the Queen marches over and delivers a flamberge wand right into her chest, killing her and her young ones inside instantly. She falls over, limp, and Seth is filled with emotional rage. In a berzerker fury, Seth slaughters every last demon knight one by one as they approach him, forcing the Queen of Fire into recognizing him.
She engages into battle with him, determined not to allow a single reptilian to survive. As they clash, the Queen of Fire now realizes she's alone. Despite destroying the entire outpost, a few reptilians survive and finish off whatever Seth leaves for them. He engages with her with sweeps of fury as others approach her, initializing a bombardment of strikes, and forcing the Queen into submission. As Seth manages to impale her with his scimitars, the Queen makes the hasty decision to finally retreat, using her flaming might, she creates a wall of fire, and with that, all that is left of the Queen that day is a trail of fire, marking retreat. Seth quickly runs to Dragonlily, over-stricken with grief, Seth can hear her words cut like daggers across his mind.
"You don't understand until you've lost everything. I pray that such a thing never happens to you".
He doesn't know what to do. He just kneels there, pulling his limp wife's body into his. He gives her one final kiss before laying her back on the ground. The others surround Seth with faces filled with despair. They all approach Dragonlily and lift her corpse over to the house, where they lay her in her damaged bed from the fire. Seth is desperate. He searches the cabin for any sign of life. He turns over shelves, picture frames, desks in an act of desperation and panic that causes the others to merely start feigning to look for life themselves. A single reptilian man, a skinny fellow looks under the bed.
Skinny Man: Seth! Seth, I found something here.
Seth runs over.
Seth: What is it?
Skinny Man: There's an egg under here.
Seth reaches under the bed and pulls out a single egg. He looks at it with a single strand of hope in his eyes.
Seth: Get me a blanket! Hurry!
A reptilian grabs a blanket from in the cupboard and Seth bundles the small egg. Seth has never been so gentle or treated anything as fragile as he does that egg. The others look at him as he just stands there, caressing the egg with endless sorrow on his face.
Skinny Man: Lets go, guys. He needs time alone.
Seth: No... please... don't go. I don't want to be alone. We need to go somewhere, together. We can't stay here.
Large, Hefty Man: She lived in Septarsis.
Seth: Then it is there we will go. She mentioned she lost everything to me. So I don't even know if she has family there.
Large, Hefty Man: What about the others?
Seth: We find a way to take them, every last one of them with us, back to Septarsis. Those men are heroes, and they will be buried like heroes for fighting the valiant fight.
Skinny Man: It makes my blood run cold that that heartless woman is still out there.
Seth: Mark my words. I will destroy her.
Seth and the gang of a small handful of reptilians depart for Septarsis, taking all they can with them. It is frigid cold in the tail end of winter. The only thing they can look forward to is that spring is on the horizon. So Seth and his men trek through the cold, a bunch of young men, with young dead men, and a young dead woman... and a single solitary egg. As they walk for miles and miles, the men can feel themselves becoming compromised by illness.
It is so long, but inevitably, tired and weary, the men make it to Septarsis, a massive home of reptiles from all over the world. Having finally reached Septarsis for himself, Seth, can finally consider himself, as well as the many others with him, Septarians. It is every lizard's dream to someday make it to Septarsis and call it their home. The men are taken by the town's mayor, who orders officials to have the dead buried. Seth tells his story of the Queen of Fire, and her attack, and the mayor of Septarsis look on with a cold expression of horror.
In time, Seth finds his place in Septarsis. The egg hatches, and Seth's firstborn son, Enos, arrives, a tiny Septarian baby with jet black hair and eyes like a pair of pumpkins, into the world. Seth loves his son with all of his heart, but Seth is not well. He simply cannot hold the burden of his grief, and therefore, to maintain his sanity, he pushes his wife's death deep into the reaches of subconscious. He never talks about her. But still, he can't bare to leave Enos motherless.
So it is in secret that Seth dates another Septarian woman named Marilyn, whom he inevitably makes his wife, and who would fulfill the role of mother so that Enos would not live without one. Marilyn is a saintly woman, elegant and blonde, with a kind and rosy face, but knows she looks nothing like her adoptive son. Her relationship with Seth and Enos is one of pity, but still one of genuine nature. Marilyn is a woman of faith, but feels ultimately that it is her calling to fill the hole left by Dragonlily, to provide healing to the man with the broken heart, and her own heart to a boy with no mother.
Marilyn continues to live with Seth long after Enos' aforementioned death at the hands of the Queen of Fire, until she ultimately meets her own fate at the hands of the woman that Seth fully believes is the reincarnation of the Queen of Fire, Solaria the Monster Carver. The Queen of Fire herself had died of an unknown disease in her 40s before Seth could effectively kill her himself, although many, through the conspiracies spread through word of mouth, believe that she was poisoned.
Upon doing an investigation into the poisoning, Seth comes in contact with the man that claims he had poisoned the Queen of Fire himself, a smug, dark-haired Septarian named Toffee. Seth introduces himself to Toffee, and after a few drinks and the sharing of a few stories, happy, and morose, the two hit it off and became good friends. Seth uses his fighting prowess to organize the people of Septarsis. At his insistence to the town's mayor, Seth utilizes his knowledge of Dragonlily's combat techniques to teach the people of Septarsis to fight as Dragonlily did, with deathly, accurate dual scimitars and a quick and an agile form of martial arts.
Many years later. The mayor of Septarsis declares he wanted to retire, after mayoring for nearly 100 years at nearly 900 years old himself, since the start of Septarsis by founders, Septarin and Kalysis. No mayoral election is held, with all Septarians standing behind Seth to make unanimous declaration of his leadership of Septarsis official. Seth runs Septarsis as his home, as the place he he calls his very own.
Not many years after Septarsis declares Seth's rule, a scientist by the name of Igginaus of the House Rogannien rolls into town on some bizarre contraption nobody has ever seen before, a man with vast wealth as well as eccentricity, Iggy commissions a castle at the edge of the town built where he could easily look over the eastern ocean-side. At first, Iggy is happy to live in Septarsis, but eventually, he grows to find the town to be a bit overprotective, and Iggy, not realizing how much attention he has grabbed with his inventions, is opted to stay within the walls of the town. To this degree, Iggy is driven to flee the town for freedom.
Seth bares witness countless deaths in his life, each life eating more and more of his soul until he can feel nothing anymore. Every time that he is faced with destruction, he builds Septarsis back, stronger, more efficient. But it doesn't come without a toll. Seth's mentality wanes with each attack, further pushing him into helplessness and despair. It is because of this that Seth never remarries after the loss of Marilyn. He continues to have many children, solely for the sake of expanding Septarian life, but Seth never becomes emotionally attached to any of his future lovers or children. They become mere mares for which he could continue his legacy. He won't leave them without protection though.
Every lover and child Seth has were treated as extensions of his footprint. He has become distant from people, afraid to ever express love towards anyone. This lack of love in his life causes Seth to become cold and lacking in empathy. He continues to walk Mewni as a man utterly starved of love, living as a zombie merely to serve Septarsis and to destroy any future Queens, praying that another Queen of Fire, or another Solaria, will never exist again.
It is this. This is Seth's nightmare, his entire long, miserable life. This is the truth that Seth has forced himself to repress. He jolts awake in his covers, realizing that just remembered something important to him. He takes a few moments to gather what point in his putrid life he faces in present day, and he recalls the present as he stammers out of his REM sleep. He knows now what he must do to awaken the hard dip down inside of Ludo.