“Why does love lead to ruin? Because it distracts, a beauty seducing the attention away from all else important in life, to the degradation of that life. That is why.”

Concluding with a heavy sigh, Myothe dropped upon the wooden bench next to his friend.

Tegra-Gale made no response, merely staring into the crackling flames within the hearth until his vision was filled with the brightness, and the dark shapes consumed by it.