Nair gazed at Shinre with sorrowful eyes. This young man had made his choice. Soon, he would hear something worse and perhaps face something even more terrible. No matter what he chose, there was no life in it!

Seeing Shinre's resolve etched into the seriousness on his face, Nair was reminded of Cail Lantis on the last day they met, the day he gave him an order that later triggered his betrayal. The same expression appeared on Shinre's face—a face that refused to let any emotion surface, carefully concealing the sadness felt as a human.

"I have never doubted or underestimated you. You are truly a magic swordsman, and you've proven it, Shinre," Nair began. "I must tell you that a magic swordsman's life and power are tied to a mission. To protect the Pillar's mission, to end the Pillar System, and to bring forth a new world order. No one deserves to die unless they betray their duties. The Pillar exists to protect this world. The magic swordsmen exist to protect the Pillar's mission. That is the life of a magic swordsman. That was also your father's life…" Nair looked at Shinre, "... and I realize now I made a terrible mistake. I punished him because he betrayed me when he…"

"Protected my mother..." Shinre cut in, but…

"...protected the Pillar of Cephiro."

Shinre's eyes widened.

"She was the Pillar who should never have been reinstated in that land. That's why I once resolved to kill her, and I gave that task to Cail, who came from Cephiro."

A painful sting pierced Shinre's heart. The truth, which he had never known or even imagined, hit him with brutal force. He shook his head in disbelief.

"My mother... the Pillar of Cephiro? What kind of joke is this? The Pillar, the strongest being, said to possess miracles..." His voice faltered. He couldn't forget the moment he embraced his mother and felt her frail body. "...there's no way she could be that weak... She was dying…"

"You saw it, didn't you?" Nair's voice was soft and heavy. "That's what happens to a Pillar when their bond with the land ends. As the land rises and no longer needs the Pillar's existence, they will die…" Nair fell silent. "When a Pillar dies that way, it marks the true end of the Pillar System in their land."

Shinre clenched his fists.

"Can you grasp the logic of this world?" Nair continued. "For centuries, Pillars have lived and died, one after the other, for the lands they protected. No matter how great our power is, we do not own ourselves. We can't hold on to anything because we are destined to lose it... including love and happiness…"

"She couldn't have you, even though she loved you dearly. For the sake of peace in Runes and Autozam, she chose to sacrifice you. Even for Cephiro, she sacrificed herself, bearing all the burden to protect that land. You know that well. No son in the world will remain unmoved when seeing their mother suffer. You've reached that point already, willing to do anything to defend and free her. You've killed people… for the person you love. I envisioned this. So, when you were born, I commanded Nova to take you away. I lied to your mother, telling her you were stillborn and to you that you were an orphan. I was always afraid that if you learned the truth about what happened to her, the only thing you'd feel would be vengeance and a desire to destroy the world that caused her suffering. You, driven by that, would have ruined her mission as the Pillar. I couldn't let you stand in her way…"

Shinre's head bowed deeply. He felt torn apart, suffocated. Yes, now he was angry. He was filled with rage. Hikaru's words echoed in his mind... about how he had been sacrificed.

"I love him, but I kill him. Because of me, he cannot see the sun… I protect and give hope to many. I provide for many except him. Does that child forgive me? No one can help me find the answer. But I know… He will never forgive me… He must not forgive me. No mother in this world forsakes her own child… to die."

"That is your mother. That is her life… Can you understand her? Can you accept her as she is?" Nair asked.

Shinre lifted his head, but he couldn't answer. All of this was too cruel for him to bear.

For her duty, she let me go. She didn't choose me. She didn't choose to protect me. She chose to sacrifice me for the greater good. Am I worth anything to her? This is horrible. She's the cause of all this. Because she is a Pillar… If she knew I was alive, for the sake of her duty, would she sacrifice me again?

But… her tears, which never stop falling, are shed because of me, who is no longer there in her world. She keeps thinking about me. She cries because of me. She continuously blames herself… Can I blame her for everything I've been through? Do I hate her? Am I angry with her? Could I even hate her or be angry with her…

"You don't need to apologize because he could never hate you. He will not blame you. You are not at fault, so there is nothing to forgive. Because of you, peace was born in Runes and Autozam. If I were him, I would be happy you sacrificed me to protect your dream of this world. I am helping you realize the peace you desire. How I wish to protect you in the path you choose…"

Was that me saying those words? Facing reality is never as easy as speaking the words! Shinre clutched his aching chest. He knew what he felt, but he also knew there was another truth he couldn't deny.

Because of her, peace was born here… That peace raised me, allowed me to live in a good place and time, and ultimately brought me to meet her and learn about my father… Though the truth was so bitter, some wounds were healed.

Shinre took a deep breath. "I promised her I would protect her and her dream. I promised I would bring about the peace she desired. You know she sacrificed her life for Cephiro, but… why do you want to destroy her land this time?" he asked about the irony.

"Isn't it for the same reason you wanted to destroy us?" Nair asked. "You believed it was right to destroy us to protect Cephiro for her sake…" Shinre recalled everything he had done. "And I, too, believed it was right to destroy Cephiro to her sake."

"What do you mean?"

"That country discarded her, yet she always thought of it and hoped for its revival. She fulfilled her mission for Cephiro, but what about herself? What about the pain she felt, slowly facing her death in exchange for that land's freedom? Can you turn your back on that as if nothing happened? I can't… The future she worked so hard to create is so vast; how could I let her not be able to see it or reach it? She sacrificed too much for this peace... for Autozam and Runes... for me and the magic swordsmen... for you, too. It's enough for her."

Shinre gazed at Nair, whose sadness and despair in his face mirrored his own. At that moment, Shinre finally understood another truth—they shared the same goal and the same love. They both wanted her happiness, her long life. They wanted to reverse the fate. And it was not easy

Their figures slowly began to brighten, and the entire room shifted into a golden hue, bathed in the light of the rising sun, marking the beginning of a new day. Shinre felt the light's warmth wash over him. He looked eastward toward the sun, its brightness dazzling his eyes. It was as if Hikaru was there... as if that radiant figure was her embracing them both.

"Mother, did you know that he and I love you? All the magic swordsmen love you. Alba and all of Autozam love you too... Wouldn't you be happy if you could see all the beauty realized in this world? You deserve to see it more than anyone..."

Shinre turned back to Nair. He knelt before Nair, speaking unwaveringly, "Let me join your ranks."