Rattan's only justification had always been the same: liberation.
And while the world may not agree with his choices, while others may call him traitor, coward, opportunist Phanthom no longer did.
He saw the truth: Rattan was merely a man chasing a light, and in the darkness, he had done what he thought necessary to reach it.
The old Phanthom would have tried to change him.
But now, there was no judgment.
"Mortal creatures are interesting, aren't they?" Ikenga's voice drifted, a calm observation that seemed to hang in the air between them.
"Do you always view things with such a detached view, my lord?" Phanthom asked, a hint of curiosity and respect to his tone.
"To witness their intricate struggles, their ambitions, the tapestry of good and ill woven by such fleeting lives... and remain so unburdened by judgment? It's a perspective I find both fascinating and, if I'm honest, a little unnerving."
