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It was tough. Certainly, there were plenty of other questions that Hector wanted to ask, particularly about the Vanguard's conduct as a whole, but it wasn't the time for that. For two different reasons, in fact. The first being that he still wasn't convinced that the situation here was truly secure now, even with Sermung's arrival. And the second being that the turmoil he sensed within Sermung was its own problem to be worrying about.

After everything he'd come to learn about the Rainlord's circumstances and the recent battle in the Luthic Ocean that caused Hurricane Deva, Hector was honestly quite tempted to just lay all of that at the feet of the Vanguardian emperor here and demand some explanations.

But how would that help the current situation? It might provide a nice feeling of catharsis, but that was just selfish thinking when so much was still up in the air. And selfishness could wait a bit longer.

Sermung's aura, however, must have been able to pick up on some aspect of those feelings, because Hector was sensing some related inquiries from the mounting irritation therein.

You are holding back quite a bit, the man's aura was saying. You have some bone to pick with me, I take it? Like countless others, no doubt.

A tempting provocation, but Hector didn't bite. He kept his own annoyance at bay. Don't change the subject. We were focusing on destiny. What's your obsession with it?

I am not obsessed. I just find it difficult to continue denying. It is hard to articulate to one so young. You may understand much of me that others do not, but that does not mean everything is easily clarified.

Well, please try, anyway. Because it seems like that idea sits near the root of your struggle.

The hope of free will may indeed be beautiful, and I do still admire it, but what say you when you see people with these supposedly free wills making the same mistakes ad nauseum? When great problems that you sacrifice much in order to solve keep returning again and again? Does that speak nothing of predestination to you? Of a pointless struggle against the endless march of entropy?

Not especially. Young people make young mistakes. I know it must be frustrating to watch happen, but the path forward isn't a straight line, you know. People learn and grow through all sorts of messy and backwards ways.

Hmph. And what of reapers? They do not have such an excuse.

Okay, well, reapers are... ah... hmm.