Nair gazed at the grand hall's ceiling where he sat upon his throne. The ceiling soared high above, supported by beautifully carved marble pillars. A massive chandelier hung overhead, casting a hundred flames that, together with electric lights on the walls, illuminated the room with brilliant clarity. Yet, the light that bathed him could not dispel the darkness within his restless heart.

His thoughts drifted back to the first time he met Hikaru when he had appeared to her in their dream, forewarning her of the great calamity that the people of Autozam would bring upon Cephiro. That was the first time he had looked into her eyes. They had locked gazes for a moment, both realizing that they had been searching for each other for a long time and had finally met. Hikaru smiled, radiating a sense of relief that he himself could not share. But then… everything had changed on the battlefield. For the first time, he saw her gentleness vanish, replaced by fury.

Weak, yet so stubborn. She fought with all her strength to stop me... Nair recalled. A strange feeling enveloped him as he remembered how she had struggled to survive on her magic wolf, enduring pain and injuries before finally losing consciousness. She didn't need to fight so hard when she knew no hope left for her, Nair thought bitterly. Foolish…

Nair's gaze shifted to the distance, towards the West Tower visible from his window. He remembered what Elva had reported days ago—that the woman had finally died—and it was hard to believe. Even though weak, she was still a Pillar, not someone who would die so easily. Not so easily, even if it had once seemed very likely.

Nair opened his hand, revealing the object he had been gripping so tightly. A golden chain slipped through his fingers, its crystal glowing faintly. The pendant of Cail… The crystal was anything but ordinary. A remarkable talisman. This is the thing that protected her from death! Nair smiled bitterly.

"You turned my loyal follower into an enemy," he whispered as if Hikaru was there. "You made him give this to you? Was it only because of this that I failed to kill you? Ridiculous."

Nair let out a soft snort, laughing at his misfortune. How simple the secret was behind how she had survived. It was as if the world itself was mocking his failure. Another grand plan ruined by something so small!

"Sir, was it you who has been searching for me all this time?"

"Did you see the future the same as I did?" Nair asked, staring at the radiant earth before them.

Hikaru followed his gaze to what he was looking at. "Yes." She seemed momentarily stunned, her expression brightening with joy. "Thank you, Sir. Now I'm not lonely anymore." Nair concealed his surprise as he heard Hikaru continue, "Now I know that I'm not alone in believing this vision is true."

Nair was silent for a moment... then asked, "Do you wish to see it realized?" Nair wanted to test her, and she nodded.

"The people of Autozam will force you to choose death," he had said. "They are very powerful."

"I know. But I am determined not to surrender. I won't give up on protecting everyone I love."

"Do you have the courage to face them?"

Hikaru had shaken her head, her expression sad. She decided to be honest. "No. I'm afraid."

"Find your courage within your heart. Awaken your strength, and you will know the true battle. I will help you… In return, come with me…" He set a trap, a dangerous lie, for her.

"To where?"

"To the future. We will make it real."

"How foolish to trust in that vision so easily…" he muttered contemptuously. "You don't know that what you saw isn't true... It never was." Nair recalled the moment he thrust his sword, believing all his desires would be fulfilled. Now, he realized the chance to claim his victory had truly slipped from his grasp.

Seething... Nair clutched the Cail talisman around his neck, and an old memory instantly played in his mind—a memory of a war so ancient that it had changed his entire life. It was his war against Cephiro and its former Pillar, Sienna, a hundred years ago. And also, his long-life war against Autozam. All led to his downfall. He swallowed the urge to weep.

Sienna, if you had worn the pendant, wouldn't it be me who died instead of you? Because of that damn vision, you set this mission for both of us. Why did we make that pact? Because of it, you died, I brought ruin upon Runes, and now I bring disaster upon the world again. If you knew how painful all this was, would we still believe that peace would come in the future, that we would ever reach the end?

There is no end. The mission to end the Pillar System once and for all… I no longer know how to achieve it. I'm so tired… Why can't I die like that woman did? I wish I could join you. I wish I could go to where you are now. I wish I could forget and free myself from everything that has happened and ensnared me.

If you saw me now, you would hate me, wouldn't you? You made one great mistake. You were wrong to trust me. I am not the one you should have trusted. I am just powerless to change the fate of the world.

Nova approached Nair in haste immediately after tending to the Pillar of Cephiro in her chamber. Her mind was a whirl of emotions. She entered the hall where Nair was and found her friend with his eyes closed, his brow furrowed in deep frustration. Putting aside his troubles, Nova stormed in with anger.

Nair opened his eyes. "Nova," he greeted her first. "You've come–"

"Why didn't you just kill that woman?!" Nova demanded, her voice brimming with anger as she cut straight to the point. "You should have done it! Why did you let her live? Why isn't she dead? How come everything turned into failure?!"

Nair's eyes widened at her words. "She isn't dead?" he asked in surprise. He straightened in his seat and rose. Nova did not answer, but her disbelief at Nair's reaction was obvious. "So, she's not dead. How impressive she is…"

"Give the order, and I'll kill her for you before it's too late before she becomes a threat to us!"

"I have no desire to kill her anymore." Nair didn't want to discuss the matter further. He approached Nova but walked past her, who stood there, stunned at how easily he dismissed it.

"What? Why have you changed your mind? I've been with you my whole life. Not once have I questioned your decisions, even when you planned to use her to destroy Autozam and Cephiro, and then dispose of her! Isn't she a Pillar who must die for the sake of this world? Have you forgotten your mission to—"

"Enough."

But Nova continued, "Your life, you've fought to abolish the Pillar System. You've sacrificed yourself to end it. You've harbored the grudge of Runes in your heart. So how can you change your mind when you're so close to succeeding? How can you abandon your purpose so easily?!"

"Enough," Nair repeated more firmly. "She's not a threat, and nothing will be too late... I can finish her anytime. I simply don't want her to die. Perhaps she may even prove useful to me."

Nova was taken aback. "The Pillar of Cephiro, useful to you?" she asked, thinking it a joke, but the seriousness in Nair's eyes told her otherwise. No further explanation was needed to see that Nair was not jesting. "No. She'll only be useful if she's dead."

"Then what about me? I'm a Pillar, too. I am the last of Runes. Does that mean I'm only useful if I die too?" Nair chuckled softly.

Horrified, Nova asked, "What? What do you mean?"

Nair raised his hand, signaling for Nova to be silent. "Nova, I know that time will come in my life. But before it does, I want to understand the meaning of all the decisions I've made that have brought me to this point… After this, unless it concerns Autozam, do not come to me. Whatever you want to do with her, I leave her to you." Nair then walked out of the room.

Nova realized this was her chance to address what had been bothering her. "That woman… Does she mean something to you that you let her live?"

"Hikaru. That's her name," Nair said, pausing at the doorway. "And don't misunderstand. She means nothing to me... not in the slightest."

"You're not toying with her life, are you?" Nova asked. Nair's brow furrowed at her question. "If you don't want her to die, don't let her live in despair. She's trying to kill herself in her cell," Nova quickly explained before Nair could leave completely.

Nair didn't want to hear it, but something held him back, urging him to know more. He slightly turned his head.

"Even so, I thought you should know this… She…" Nova's words trailed off. Suddenly, she hesitated to speak. "She... she's pregnant. I discovered it when I examined her…"

Nair, shocked by the revelation, remained silent. Is it Cail's child? He wondered. "Have you told her?"

Nova shook her head. "She hasn't regained consciousness yet…"

"What a useless child, just like his father..." Nair murmured, leaving Nova momentarily speechless at his indifference.