Tales from the Dawn #3: "A Question of Life" (Hermes)

[KariTheFox]

They died. It's like saying Papalymo didn't really sacrifice himself, he's just taking a temporary dip in the Aetherial Sea. Or what Ysayle did for us was no biggie because it's not like she gave up the possibility of reincarnation. Why bother getting upset over Haurchefant? Sure, his life was cut short, but his aether still exists, so no problem.

The intention of the third sacrifice is to bring them back from the dead. Not reincarnate them or let them return to the aetheric sea, but fully and completely restore and revive them.

If that had been successful, then the finality of thier deaths would no longer have any sting. If they had sacrificed themselves assuming they would be brought back to life later, then thier sacrifices would be less meaningful than Ysayle or Papalymo's, who understood they were going to die and there was no coming back.

Edit: And just to be clear, I don't think the people of the first two sacrifices knew about any plans to try to revive them, because I do think those sacrifices are particularly meaningful and show the deep love and dedication the ancients had towards each other and thier star.