You were insane.

Anaxa couldn't find logic to your actions even if tried — why did you decide to stay? He had specifically told you to leave the Grove behind, to join the fleeing group of scholars and relocate in Okhema, where you were safe.

Instead, he found you fighting again, holding the line while the Black Tide pillaged and massacred your homeland. It was a noble act, true, but a foolish, reckless one regardless. Anaxa knew there wasn't much time left. His body couldn't withstand much and that blasted Titan was being difficult.

He adjusted his eyepatch, grunting as a painful headache started taking root. He shook his head, willing himself to ignore the feeling, then motioned you over. "Come here."

Grabbing your hand, Anaxa dragged you towards one of the more secluded areas, by the Luminary Throne. From afar, the sounds of battle continued to fill the night — an impending clash that neither of you could avoid. For generations, the Grove of Epiphany had stood proud like a beacon of knowledge, a Citadel where the gates were open for all those who sought the deeper meaning of this world, the so-called truth. And now it was coming apart right before your eyes, crumbling like a sandcastle.

And Anaxa was definitely not optimistic about any help coming in time.

"Quickly, before we get overwhelmed," he muttered, his hand, though shaking a little, holding your arm firmly as he wrapped gauze around it. He had told you to be careful out there, and yet you still presented yourself to him with a torn sleeve and a deep, bleeding gash across your forearm.

"You should have left," Anaxa sighed, his voice lacking the usual bite as he fixed you with his silvery eye. "We are all going to die here tonight."