The world spun around him, as though the tower itself were swaying violently. Supporting himself against the wall, Shade heard those familiar voices vanish one after another, while the familiar figures in the paintings on the walls no longer appeared either. It seemed like many, many years had passed, yet it also felt like only a few short minutes. Bracing himself against the wall as he moved forward, Shade finally saw firelight higher up the spiraling stone steps. He knew he had finally arrived.
Whether those interrogations had truly come from his own heart, or whether something had been imitating their voices, Shade no longer wanted to think about it. If he had encountered this problem a few weeks ago, he might truly have been broken here. But he already understood his own thoughts, and he admitted his own baseness and greed. Since he had already done wrong, then he would spend the rest of his life making it up to them, just as he had promised Leisha at the inn yesterday afternoon.
Even with the wall supporting him, his body could barely move anymore. He struggled to take the last few steps, but at that moment, he felt someone gently tug at his clothes from behind. It was only a light pull, yet it felt as though it carried the weight of a thousand tons.
The person behind him asked:
"This time, have you truly made up your mind? Will you never be lost again, never regret again, and give everyone happiness?"
It was Luvia's voice, but upon listening closely, it was clearly not just one person's voice. Countless familiar voices had overlapped together to ask him that question. He could think of many familiar faces, and of the many, many stories he had shared with them so far: