A lot of Existences mention the glory before battle and silence after it. The glory belongs to those who survive long enough to claim it. The silence belongs to those who learned the truth.
The truth that darkness does not care about strength or conviction or righteousness. It comes for all equally, and when it arrives, every being discovers the same terrible knowledge: they were never prepared for the cold or for the absence.
Not for the regret that blooms in the space where hope used to reside. The casualties of war are the final thoughts of beings who finally understood they should have chosen differently, and understood it exactly one moment too late.
-Reflections on War.
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Naldine observed the impossible.
