Death.
What did it mean to Uriel?
It meant nothing.
During his days in the ivory desert, at times, he'd been faced with situations so dire he'd shown something close to fear of death.
And, for a time, he'd thought that this was true. He'd thought that maybe he was beginning to desire life and its beauty.
He began to think that maybe his life could have a purpose and could be an experience worth enjoying. But that had changed.
No, it hadn't changed. After he'd burned in the brazier, after he'd died again and again at the hand of the Regulator, he'd decided to stop lying to himself.
In the desert, with his body torn by chaotic aether and a gigantic wave looming over him, what he feared wasn't death—it was helplessness.
When tied to the ruby monument, wave after wave crashing into him, not once did he have a flicker of fear toward death. In fact, he'd welcomed it. What he feared was the lack of options.
