It was then that Reinhard heard footsteps approaching across the area. But it wasn't just one but multiple sets that were rapidly approaching. Through Angra Mainyu, he could detect their emotion of worry, concern, urgency, and fear.

But Reinhard's eyes tracked clouds lazily, not turning toward sound as he knew who they were.

And just as he expected, it was his friends who appeared first.

Her platinum hair streamed behind her as she rushed forward, light-gold eyes wide with concern mixed with relief. Joseph came from her left, green eyes tracking Reinhard's prone form for visible injuries.

Brunhilde approached from the right, her movements more measured but carrying equal intensity beneath.

They converged on the rock simultaneously before Brunhilde's gaze swept across his entire form. And then she smiled before saying. "He's alright, his magic had recovered most of the damage… Right now, he is just exhausted."

Marie and Joseph blinked before sighing in relief, while Janus chuckled with a grin and Amiya giggled.

Reinhard laughed, the sound emerged genuine despite his exhaustion.

Marie straightened before her hands moved to her hips, posture shifting from concern to exasperation in a single motion. She glared down at him, her expression mixing anger, relief, and frustration all competing for dominance.

And then she sighed before saying. "Please don't let fighting terrifying opponents alone be a thing. It happened twice now, and that's concerning."

Reinhard scratched his cheek with one finger. "I hope it won't be."

Joseph laughed. "But at least this time we didn't find you knocked out or in a coma."

Marie blinked before her expression shifted as she processed the observation, hand rising to hold her chin in contemplative gesture. "Oh, that's an improvement. That would save the trouble of creating excuses for him."

Reinhard's lips twitched.

The comparison to the previous incident of Phanes City's aftermath had created a scale for him specifically. That his being "merely exhausted" registered as success of his leaving the mission fine rather than a failure.

His gaze shifted to Brunhilde, who was kneeling down, writing golden words. And then Reinhard shivered as he felt the healing magic fixing what his low reserves couldn't. And their gazes met, but no words were exchanged as none were needed.

His slight smile acknowledged her concern but also her willingness to trust him. Her faint smile in return confirmed relief at seeing him alive and that he had overcome the Saint. The silent communication conveyed more than a lengthy conversation, and their ever-growing trust.

More footsteps approached, leading Janus and Amiya to turn around. Vlad appeared through the trees, his weathered face showing exhaustion matching Reinhard's own. The last Ancestor moved slowly. Reinhard noted that Vlad seemed off and in a daze.

Oh… Right, Charles.

Vlad stopped at the rock's edge, crimson eyes fixing on Reinhard as his lips pressed into a thin line.

"Tell me what happened with Charles… Please."

It was a request seeped with desperation to understand how his former friend and leader had ended. If any words or reason had been exchanged, and whether peace had been found before final dissolution.

Reinhard sat up slowly, his back protesting the motion while his muscles stiffened from the brief rest on hard stone. He positioned himself cross-legged, and then he sighed before he began speaking.

He began speaking, recounting the battle, manipulating the tide to bridge the power gap. Coordination with Marie and everyone else gathering light, Charles's revelations about the Chimera body, and the Sinners' involvement. The tactical details painted a picture of an impossible plan somehow won through everyone working together.

Then he reached the most important part for Vlad.

"He said he was tired. Suffocated by pressure of being a leader, of being constantly relied on, of having to be a beacon of light and hope." Reinhard's gaze tracked Vlad's face, watching emotions flicker across his weathered face. "Always smiling and never breaking, raising everyone's morale, never showing weakness."

Vlad trembled, and his entire frame shook as if he were struck. His fists clenched until knuckles went white, nails digging crescents into palms.

"He felt less like a human and more like a symbol. An icon that others looked at to cheer them up and keep going." Reinhard paused, allowing words to settle. "It became so suffocating that he deliberately charged toward the roots for his death, because he was too scared to ask for help and break everyone's perception of him."

Vlad's expression cycled rapidly and started with grief, pulling his face downward. Then regret creasing his forehead, and sorrow leading his crimson eyes to shake. His shoulders slumped as if the weight pressing down had suddenly doubled.

"We..." His voice cracked before he swallowed hard and tried again. "We really shouldn't have treated him like a symbol and instead as our friend."

His hand rose to cover his face, fingers pressing against closed eyes. "I can only imagine our expectations made it feel like he was in a storm he had to struggle through... In hindsight, it's obvious now, but back then..."

"He felt like he couldn't turn back," Reinhard finished gently. "That revealing how he felt to you all would shatter something important."

Vlad laughed bitterly; the sound was ugly and filled with loathing. "At that time... He would be right." His hand dropped, revealing eyes red from suppressed tears. "Most of us only continued fighting in the beginning because of Charles's effort and the beautiful light he gave off. Had he shown weakness or gone against that unwavering determination-"

"The group would have fractured, with some even leaving, I am assuming." Brunhilde's statement came matter-of-factly.

Vlad nodded slowly before his hand rose again, this time rubbing his forehead as if fighting a headache. "It was suffocating for us to deal with constant expectations and pleas of the people. After the Forerunners' fall and people having to deal with new changes, we were their pillars that helped stop them from fully giving up hope."

Marie stepped forward and said softly. "And Charles was the rest of the Ancestors' pillar."

"In a way, his presumed death helped unite us and dispel any doubt and hesitation in all of us." Vlad's admission emerged quietly, carrying guilt at finding strength through loss. "Still, I want to thank you for the words you told him at the end, Reinhard."

Amiya nodded excitedly, a beaming smile transforming her features despite recent grief. "Thanks for sticking up for the Forerunners and us, Rein... Although we should have argued better back then."

Marie's smile softened, carrying sympathy for the position they'd been placed in. "You guys were still feeling the guilt and pain that his words had caused."

Vlad sighed deeply. "And he wasn't completely wrong. We should have asked for help even if it meant giving up some things... It would be better than allowing our people to continue suffering."

Joseph's brows furrowed, confusion evident. "Did you guys really not ask for help because of that?"

Vlad's gaze shifted sideways, his eyes glanced around the landscape, and then his expression showed a complex mix of emotions.

"Partially... But the biggest reason is we didn't want to further show our incompetence to the Precursor people." His voice dropped lower, carrying shame poorly concealed. "They have counted on us for years to protect them, end the Dark Silence, and give them a better future. And for those years we have been failing them-"

"No, you guys haven't!" Amiya interrupted sharply, shaking her head violently. "Master, you may not have known this, but a lot of the townspeople admire you guys."

Vlad paused mid-sentence. He blinked rapidly, expression shifting to uncertainty mixed with hope, and his voice emerged hesitant. "They... they do?"

Janus nodded, a faint smile appearing despite recent loss. "Even though they seem angry at you guys, sometimes I hear them envying how brave and courageous you are, and how it gives them strength to continue getting out of bed."

Amiya grinned at Vlad and said. "To the people of Eastern Hesod, you guys are their symbols, no matter what."

Vlad stared at them in daze, and his crimson eyes showed vulnerability rarely displayed.

Brunhilde laughed. "It seems an old fossil like you has been blind for a bit."

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