If it had been him, Sephiran wondered how he would have felt. Had he fallen into an unnatural slumber after Altina's death, what would he have seen? To rouse in a world changed beyond recognition, with only the knowledge that all that had once been was lost to the passage of time--he did not want to even ponder it. But, if he had gone through such an ordeal... Would he have been able to avoid the pain that now plagued his soul?
The Manakete's words weighed heavily upon Sephiran's heart, tightening and loosening the chains he had placed over it, all at once. With all the effort he could muster, he held back his emotions, and squeezed the woman's hand slightly as she spoke. She had found hope and moved on--that was what had driven her away from solitude and despair. In spite of all she knew, she had accepted her past and overcome the pain it caused her.
Though their lives mirrored one another, they could not have been more different. Her gentle compassion reigned as fiercely as his guilty melancholy ruled him. Sephiran tried to return the dragon's warm smile, but his facade had long since crumbled. The man hung his head and pressed his free hand against his heart. He tried in vain to stem the flow of sorrow as it spilled through his fingers.
"Once, I was known as Lehran of the Heron Tribe. My love for a Beorc robbed me of my Laguz gifts, and my cowardice placed any children born of a union between the two races under stigma. My loyalty to my Goddess created a rift between her two natures, and my blind rage almost forced her to destroy her own beloved creations."
Sephiran fell silent. Even now, he held the Manakete's hand tightly in his own, unable to move a singe muscle, lest he lose what little control of himself he had left. His legs were weak and threatened to buckle beneath him any second, but he remained rooted to the ground. He took a trembling breath and continued in a hoarse voice.
"I have reached out many times to countless people. My involvement has only ever brought about their pain. A lonesome knight faced death for a man who only used him as a pawn. An empress discovered she had been lied to by one whom she trusted with all her heart. ... A child and his sister were separated from their parents, and left to the mercy of fate. All these were events brought about by my hand."
He did not pity himself, but rather, those he once knew, those he knew now, and those he would know in the future. The Manakete was correct in that he would eventually move on and find others to quell his loneliness. But, he was a being who shouldered the bloodshed of an entire world. As far as he was concerned, he had no longer had any interest in staining the lives and dreams of those he held dear.
"Now... I am known as Sephiran--a traitor to the earth itself. Mine is no longer a matter of loneliness, nor progress. I have already received more love than I will ever deserve," he whispered and finally slackened his hold on the woman's hand. "I no longer have the means or reasons to partake in the workings of the world. If I am to be but a spectator of time's cycle, then I have no need for solitude, nor satisfaction." The heron lowered his hands and raised his head, looking the dragon in the eyes with an expression of complete resignation. Yet, his words seemed to be reminding himself of his own fate, rather than reiterating that which he had already accepted.
"You are kind, stranger, and no doubt blessed with comrades who sympathise with your plight. Your sincerity would be put to better use on those who can appreciate it. Perhaps if you are fortunate, you will give advice to one capable of returning your words."
