A quiet snort. "Oh? Are you so spoilt by my company that you can't think of another man or woman you would spend the rest of your life with? I suppose I'm flattered."

If the conflict between Hydaelyn and Zodiark ever ended... What would the world be like, he wonders? Would it finally be in balance, or would other forces conspire to tip the scales one way or the other? These are questions which are not for him to know the answer to.

"Someone, somewhere, will love you, Irhya. They will care for you in ways I cannot, and unconditionally as well. Don't spend your remaining years pining over a dead man."