(EW Spoilers) Tales from the Dawn #5 - Days Gone By, Days Yet to Come

[Lunaxia]

I always feel mentions...

See, I always thought of that course of action as spot on for what Azem as we know them would take, considering they're essentially an incarnation of the WoL. Given everything we've seen up until now, I couldn't ever see our character simply accepting that half of their people had to die so the other half could live, when we've very much always been about going against the grain and trying to save everyone, no matter the odds (which is why Endwalker annoyed me so much.) The story also makes a point of emphasising their travels and the connection it led to them building with their people, as opposed to the somewhat more insular Amaurot, and it makes sense to me they would naturally be far more reluctant to go along with such a plan and saw it as too high a price to pay. They notably didn't respond to Venat's group either, which to me also supports this; I very much doubt Azem was ever a "for the greater good" kind of guy, just like we never were until Endwalker.

And I think that's part of what made the Ancient storyline so good, and so tragic - everyone was pretty much trying to do what they thought best with a terrible situation, only it wound up pulling them apart in the process, which is unfortunately what tends to happen in these types of situations where conflict is near inevitable. And as angry as Emet-Selch might have been, and hoping for our return, I also think a part of him and Hythlodaeus knew that was exactly on brand for Azem and part of what he admired them for the first place - for their courage and compassion and willingness to do what they can to help others, especially as he was always the more serious and pragmatic sort himself. Fate just dealt them a cruel hand and their ideals took them down different paths, which neither regret even as what it meant losing might be lamented.