Zeus fell from his throne.
His body hit the ground hard, coating his golden robes in dust. When he pushed himself up, clarity returned to his once-vacant eyes.
But that clarity was immediately swallowed by overwhelming guilt and pain.
"I... what have I done..." Zeus's voice trembled.
Memories surged in like a tide: the orders he had given while under control, the harm he had inflicted with his own hands, the innocent lives sacrificed... every image stabbed into his soul like a knife.
Golden tears slid silently down his face.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Zeus knelt on the ground, covering his face with both hands. "I've failed everyone... my comrades in the Moderate Faction, the soldiers who were controlled, all those who died because of me..."
Gamma stepped forward to help him up.
"No!" Zeus backed away a step. "Don't touch me! My hands are covered in blood! I don't deserve... I don't deserve forgiveness..."
"The people I executed were only standing up for justice, yet I sentenced them to death..."
"Iota was my most trusted subordinate, yet I turned him into a tool for spreading control with my own hands..."
"And those soldiers forced to think as one... they all had lives of their own, but I stripped them of their freedom..."
Zeus's voice grew increasingly anguished. "I founded the Alliance for peace, yet I turned it into a terrifying instrument of rule with my own hands. I sought order, yet I caused the greatest chaos. I..."
"What right do I have to live?!"
He raised his hand, gathering order power in his palm and aiming it at his own Concept Core.
"Wait!" Gamma rushed forward and grabbed his hand. "Will dying undo everything? Will it bring those victims back to life?"
"At least I won't have to face