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contemptibility) wrote2011-08-15 10:21 pm
contemptibility) wrote2011-08-15 10:21 pm
Entry tags:
｡canon ramblings.
Not all necessarily relevant in-game.
general.
“… I don’t want these children to have to listen to that ugly laughter anymore. All of them who are here now have suffered enough. Monster, demon, abomination… Constantly being called these things—some children, when I found them, wouldn’t even lift their head or speak. And they all said the same thing.
‘I’m a monster, but I don’t want to hurt the people I love.’
‘I’m a monster, but I don’t want to hurt the people I love.’
But… who are the real monsters here?”
◦ Birthplace unknown, as also stated in the handbook. Presumably not from Roland, Estabul, Nelpha, Iyet, or Gastark, as the first four are only familiar with Alpha Stigma bearers and it's questionable if Gastark even produces Cursed Eye bearers, given their lineage.
◦ Age also unknown and gets very iffy depending on the information. Tiir states that the purpose of the Iino Doue is to kill Lieral, suggesting that he couldn't have been born before Lieral unless the Priests/Goddesses predicted that much (though that brings up the question of why they didn't do more to stop him when they had the chance). Lieral, however, states that he doesn't know which one of them is older—but then again, he doesn't seem to put much stock in the whole purpose behind the Iino Doue thing to begin with. Lieral was revealed to be a magic genius when he was still fairly young, though, putting a cap of about ~40 years old if you assume that he has to be younger than Lieral. He's also looked to be in his early/mid-twenties for about 10 years, as Claugh first met him when the latter was around fifteen. tl;dr \o_o/
◦ Past also unknown (damn it, Kagami, is any concrete information on Tiir too much to ask for—), making him one of the most enigmatic characters in the series in that regard. As with all Iino Doue bearers, he devoured his mother from within the womb at birth, but his father is never mentioned. The handbook does state that he has no family (versus stating “unknown”), however. He also met Ene some time over ten years ago, and ten years ago, encountered Claugh and wiped out his squad, but spared Claugh's life (albeit not without wrecking his arm). Given the time it takes to travel and the amount of God's Eyes bearers, with Ene indicating that Tiir was responsible for saving most, if not all of them, suggests that he's been gathering Cursed Eye bearers for several years. On the other hand, Gastark's dialogue could potentially suggest that this is a recent thing, but it also might just mean that they've only taken notice of his existence recently or that he's been openly defying them only as of late. On that note, he's also had at least one encounter with Gastark where thirty-eight children were killed before him and he had to run.
◦ Presumably knew Lafra (and likely Pueka, given that she and Lafra have already developed feelings for each other by the present) for a while, as they were searching for Cursed Eye bearers in the south, where only Alpha Stigma bearers are born. That is, Lafra came with him from their main base to help him search (Lafra also mentions knowing a couple of other Ebra Crypt bearers, so).
◦ As for the Cursed Eye bearers as a whole—again, he may have been gathering them for several years now. Either way, given that he's found thousands by Vol. 12, he's... saved a lot of children, to state the obvious. His dialogue implies that he's found them in a multitude of situations—whether he directly saved them from humans (e.g. he often mentions how parents try to sell/kill their own children) or found them in the aftermath, when the damage had already been done (e.g. mentioning how some children wouldn't even look up or speak to him when he found them).
◦ The purpose of the Iino Doue is to apparently kill Lieral, as they're his natural bane. Tiir seems rather bitter about the entire thing, given that it means he was basically born as a monster because of Lieral. That said, Tiir doesn't succeed in killing him either way, meaning that he can't achieve that purpose, and as Lieral ends up working with Ene, he's not even allowed to. Then, at the end of it all, Lieral dies, and so the given reason for Tiir's existence is, essentially, rendered null.
◦ Just became the fourth king of Sphelliyet as of Vol. 13, alongside Ryner, Vois, and Pia. Congrats, Tiir, this is going to test your patience in so many ways. Though he can get along fine with Ryner when they're not arguing, Vois is someone you just get kind of... accustomed to, and I can see him and Pia hitting it off in a bit of a snarky way, actually, now that they won't be trying to kill each other.
ene.
“… He’s your guardian—your family. You’ve been protected by him all this time. And from here on, that’s how it’ll continue to be.”
In a lot of ways, Tiir and Ene are an example of opposites attracting. Even on a physical level—Ene is physically one of the weakest characters in canon, whereas Tiir is one of the strongest. She doesn’t age because her body no longer grows; Tiir doesn’t age because his body no longer deteriorates. All things considered, it was a doomed relationship, seeing as how Tiir seems to be one of those types who finds a way to survive just about anything, whereas it was evident from the start that Ene was likely slated to die.
Personality-wise, they’re also completely different, aside from perhaps smiling when they shouldn’t (but that’s a trait that most of the cast is guilty of at some point or another). Ene is peaceful and even-tempered where Tiir is passionate and emotional. Ene realizes that Ryner gains strength from his human friends and is fine where he is; Tiir is convinced that they’ll only hurt him sooner or later. Similarly, Ene still believes in humans, while Tiir definitely does not. Also, if you were to ask Tiir, Ene is charismatic whereas he isn’t, but Tiir also suffers from horrible self-esteem, so his judgment there isn’t, uh, necessarily valid—though his belief on that further highlights his dependence on Ene, as he can’t imagine not having her as a leader, despite the fact that she’s, for all intents and purposes, dying (yet one of many, many things Tiir is in denial about).
Despite their differences and conflicting beliefs, though, they seem to get along just fine—connected by a mutual suffering, the desire to protect their friends, and the wish to change the world. And, well, the fact that Tiir is apparently her saviour (and her his, likely, on an emotional level) and what with them knowing each other for ten years, which is a long time to know anyone, regardless of however old they may be. Their first interaction seen together essentially lays down most of what needs to be known about their relationship, which is good because, again, it’s pretty much the only time we ever get to see them together.
Points of interest in their conversation:
◦ Ene stating that the God’s Eyes bearers will be just fine with Tiir for leader, even if she’s no longer around.
◦ Her stating that Ryner will form a connection between them and humans and help Tiir heal.
◦ Tiir commenting on the worthlessness of their lives.
◦ Ene mentioning making Ryner the king of the God’s Eyes bearers.
◦ To a lesser extent (regarding their relationship, at least), Ene talking about defying the gods.
These all become significant in Vol. 13 (particularly if you believe that Ene did see everything coming), even if not necessarily obviously so.
Firstly, there’s Vol. 12, where they declare Ryner to be the king of God’s Eyes bearers, as the one who’ll save them from their despair, with Ene even arranging it so that Ryner gives them the speech that he does, in hopes of convincing them to open up to humans. Though it does have an effect on Tiir, immediately after, Ene dies—and not by her powers, but rather, by being killed by the hands of a human. Tiir takes this about as well as one would imagine (that is, not well at all). Again, he and Ryner have that argument—that Lafra, Pueka, and Ene never hated humans, and so Tiir should think about that. On the reverse side, as Tiir points out, every one of them died miserable deaths for it—that the humans they had faith in in simply killed them in the end.
If he shouldn’t hate humans but trying to believe in them will only result in your death, then what exactly is he supposed to do? Or is there nothing he—any of them—can do? That the only reason they exist is to be killed in cold blood, cursing that they were born with these eyes? Again, Tiir had severe self-worth issues, as first made clear in his scene with Ene. Ene, who told him that she would prove that they were born for a reason—but in the end, she died before ever showing him that “proof”.
Then, she’s revived, but without her powers and without any memory of him. As Lieral points out and Ryner reaffirms, she’s a normal human. That is, she’s what Tiir despises above all else.
And though Tiir is a hypocrite about many things, he proves himself to not be one in this. He’s expressed many times his distaste towards the humans who claim to love one another and turn their back the moment the other person becomes a ‘monster’. And so, when Ene returns as an ordinary human—the ‘monster’ for him—he responds in the way he believed all those humans should’ve: by loving her all the same.
Frankly, that moment probably demonstrates more clearly than anything else just how much Tiir cares for Ene (and all his friends, really). It’s when Tiir is at his weakest and most vulnerable. There are none of the walls that Ryner noted back in Vol. 8, and no hatred or anger driving him forward, like there was when Lir killed his friends. Nor is he trying to be strong for anyone here. Everything right there is all of who he is—his sheer relief and joy at seeing Ene alive again, even if she’s human and even if she has no idea who he is anymore. While Lieral and Ryner do both point out that he’ll have to choose between his hatred towards humans and his love for her, that never really seems to be an issue to begin with. When Ene is revived, Tiir doesn’t hesitate at all to embrace her, despite the fact that she’s very obviously different now. What’s important to him is that she’s back—not the side effects of her revival. Honestly, Tiir likely didn’t need Lieral and Ryner to drive the point home at all, given how utterly relieved he was.
Moving on, though Ene is alive, Tiir presumably becomes the leader in her place, as she’s more than just a normal human now—she’s an entirely normal person as a whole. Without her Torch Curse, she can’t see the future and guide them, and without her memories, she likely has no desire to. And so, despite the fact that Tiir never really wanted to be leader, he doesn’t have much of a choice but to step up to the position. Not only that, but with Ryner’s offer, he’s become one of the leaders of an entire country.
And the fact that Tiir even accepted it shows just how far he’s come, considering that not only is he agreeing to work with humans, he’s agreeing to potentially work with Gastark, his worst enemies. Though Tiir may not have forgiven them just yet, as seen by the fact that he’s initially hostile towards the idea, it’s still an incredible leap of faith to take. Even deciding to work alongside Sphelliyet was obviously a difficult decision for him to make in Vol. 12, considering the thousands of lives that are all resting on him, meaning that if he makes a mistake, they could all die because of him—which he’s all too aware of. He’s not just in charge of his life, but those of all of his friends and the children. Again, it’s a massive risk that he’s taking and a lot that Ryner’s asking from him.
At the end of it all, though, Tiir realizes that the world is changing and that he needs to move with it, and that things need to change. And to be able to make that kind of decision, especially right after Ene’s death and revival and all of the aftereffects, probably shows that despite Tiir’s initial doubts, he has the strength to be a leader. If he can decide something like that after watching his best friend die, possibly becoming the most unstable he’s been yet, feeling guilty over Ryner having to lose his father, dealing with the fact that the person he’s been with for 10+ years no longer remembers him and likely never will, and rethinking everything he’s believed in his entire life, it’s probably safe to say that Tiir will be fine. And as the one who knew him better than anyone else, Ene must have realized that.
Either way, thanks to Ryner persuading him to work together with humans, Tiir is definitely on the path to recovery at this point, what with learning to let go of his hatred—just as Ene always wanted. While it’s unclear just how much Ene saw, it’s possible that she did know that all of this was going to happen. Her line about asking Ryner to tell Tiir not to cry over his death might indicate that she didn’t, though it could also indicate that she simply didn’t see all of the fragments in between but was still aware of the ultimate outcome. If you do choose to go with the idea that she foresaw all of this, however, her death and revival was, in a way, her last gift to Tiir. While Ene does have the principle of not interfering with what she sees, lest she inadvertently create a worse future, Ryner’s thoughts suggest that part of the reason this time might’ve been to force Tiir to change. That is, to finally free him from his bitterness and have him change for the better, as she clearly wished for him in her first scene.
And then, to wrap everything up, this is the volume that fully starts down the path of defying the gods. In short, everything within the first two chapters of Vol. 13 basically goes back to Ene’s first scene, together with Tiir. While she may have never been able to give him a clear answer as to why they were born, it’s likely evident to Tiir by now what he should do to change things—and with that, he can decide for himself why someone like him exists. Though the Ene who fought to change the world and wished for their salvation is no longer there—though he’ll never be able to rely on her again—she gave him that strength to move on with his life.
Again, it’s her parting gift to him, as thanks for having protected her all this time.
ryner.
“So join me, Tiir. Become my ally. And I’ll protect you all.”
Aka the king of Cursed Eye bearers, as the God’s Eyes bearers have proclaimed him, though he would probably argue that Tiir is just as deserving of that title, if not more.
Way to reign in the gay vibes, you two.
In fact, this is a parallel that Ryner himself basically invokes, though some of the echoes here aren’t even his own doing. Just as Sion holds out his hand to Ryner at the beginning of the series, telling him to become his ally, Tiir later holds out his hand to Ryner, promising him that things will change. Either way, Ryner doesn’t accept, too broken to believe in change any longer. Where Tiir gave up on humans and chose to resent them, Ryner gave up on the world and chose to stop fighting for anything (though Tiir’s dialogue in Vol. 13 suggests that, deep down, Tiir likewise fears that it’s impossible for him to change anything and that a part of him is tired of trying). In a sense, they’re both weak and strong. Ryner is weak because he gave up the will to fight but also strong because he never gave in to resentment; Tiir is strong because he never stopped fighting but also weak because he couldn’t bring himself to forgive.
In any case, when Ryner and Tiir first meet, Ryner is the brooding, worn-down of the two, while Tiir, aside from being a very bitter psychopath, doesn’t seem particularly hurt the way Ryner is and in fact tries to bring him out of his shell. Come their second meeting, and their positions are reversed: Tiir is the one with walls around him and Ryner is the one trying to bring them down. The thing here is that Ryner changed while Tiir remained static—that is, by this point, Ryner has accepted that he’s not a monster and doesn’t have to be alone, whereas Tiir is still struggling with his hatred and insecurities. It’s here that Ryner offers his hand to Tiir, asking him to be friends and claiming that he’ll be accepted amongst Ryner’s friends, much like the way Tiir assured Ryner that he had friends among the Cursed Eye bearers. And just like back then, no change is made—Tiir doesn’t take Ryner’s hand. Ryner accepts that, at that moment, he can’t sway Tiir’s heart and is left to wonder what he can do.
His chance to try again comes four volumes later, though compared to the first time, where Ryner was surprisingly gentle, he’s much harsher about it now. Granted, this is also because Tiir is trying to kill Ferris now, whereas before, he was intending on simply bringing Ryner back with him/leaving. And so, he’s, well, pinning Tiir to the ground—and let’s face it, that doesn’t exactly inspire kind words. Furthermore, the situation—of the world as a whole—is very different from back then. Ryner was in no particular hurry at that time, while he is now. For that matter, Ryner’s recovery took over a year—time that Tiir simply does not have the luxury of. They have less than a year before Remurus’s barrier ends. In other words, less than a year to change the world, which is a very short period of time, when you think about all they have to achieve. If Tiir isn’t willing to change here and now, then there’s no guarantee that Ryner will ever get the chance again (not to mention that, either way, Pia told him to bring Tiir and the God’s Eyes bearers back with him along with Vois, which, as Ryner points out, is no easy task).
And thus, Ryner’s speech this time lacks the compassion it had before. Rather, he essentially tells Tiir to get over himself, accusing him of being a hypocritical coward. It’s blunt and insensitive and perhaps even cruel, but kind words won’t change Tiir now—at least not within the timespan Ryner needs him to, if he wants for Tiir to be his ally.
Fortunately, it works, for the most part. Tiir admits that he still can’t bring himself to honestly have faith in humans, but at the very least, he might be willing to believe in Ferris, having seen her try to protect Ryner. It might not seem like much, especially considering that it’s not as if he’ll be spending much time with her anyway, but for Tiir to acknowledge feeling anything other than hatred towards humans is a significant step for him.
—And, if nothing else, he believes in Ryner. Even if he can’t trust humans, he’ll trust his friend who believes in them. Considering Tiir’s somewhat dismissive attitude of Ryner’s views when they first met, that also shows how much Tiir has changed (and perhaps how desperate he’s getting to protect his friends).
On Ryner’s part, as irritated and frustrated as he may be with Tiir’s attitude, he doesn’t necessarily dislike him either (at least, not any more than he pretends to dislike the average person). Certainly, Ryner doesn’t approve of Tiir’s hatred and probably finds him rather overbearing at times, but he’s also the first to acknowledge that while Tiir may be cruel, there’s no one kinder to the Cursed Eye bearers than him. When Ene tells Ryner that he’s kind and that’s what makes him special, Ryner points out that Tiir is kind as well. When people call Ryner the king of Cursed Eye bearers, Ryner says that the true king—the one beloved by all the Cursed Eye bearers—is Tiir. While he may not exactly like Tiir, per se, and Tiir has a bad tendency to get in his way, he ultimately seems to view Tiir as, well, a person. A heavily flawed person, definitely, but he realizes why Tiir acts the way he does and acknowledges Tiir’s walls as a means of protecting himself from the prejudice of humans, which Ryner understands all too well.
It all reaches its peak in Vol. 13, where Tiir comes dangerously close to undoing all of the development he underwent in Vol. 12, with Ene’s death nearly pushing him over the edge. However, he manages to hold on, and again, when the worst is (temporarily) over, Ryner repeats what he did before. He holds out his hand to Tiir and asks him to become his ally (for that matter, he purposely uses the same line Sion used on him, despite having found it embarrassing when Sion said it).
This time, though, Tiir accepts. Or rather, it’s not clear if he explicitly takes Ryner’s hand, but he accepts Ryner’s offer—to become his ally, and, by association, to overcome his hatred towards humans.
And with that, they’ve finally become something akin to genuine friends. Took you long enough, guys.
development.
“The world is at war. If humans find us, they’ll gouge out our eyes. That’s why all of you are needed—to protect us.”
All in all, both form the backbone of Tiir’s change in canon, as the primary people who encourage him to like humans. It’s hardly as if anyone else is going to tell Tiir that, what with them seeing him as a leader of sorts, whereas he isn’t that to Ene and even if Ryner saw him as that, the day he cares about authority will be the day the world ends (actually, all things considered, not even that—).
Anyhow, Ene takes the passive role of, in a way, manipulating Ryner and events, whereas Ryner takes the more direct /PINS TIIR TO THE GROUND AND RANTS AT HIM approach, with both working to different effects. The first sign that Tiir shows of being willing to open up is in Vol. 8—that is, his second meeting with Ryner. The indications are subtle, though, in that they mainly consist of Tiir breaking down somewhat in a way that he hasn’t before—showing how, for all his talk about the issue, it’s touchier for him than it seems—and the fact that Tiir actually relents. Specifically, although he claims that he’ll bring Ryner back, even by force, he ends up leaving without him of his own will. While only for now, given that he later tries to get Ryner to join them again, he accepts that Ryner refuses to come with them and so leaves with the others, as the Anti-Roland Coalition is waking up and they have to get out of there before they’re surrounded. Though he’s probably still denying it to himself at that point like everything in life, that implies that a part of him realizes that maybe Ryner is already where he belongs—or at the very least, in a place where he won’t be hurt.
And then along comes Vol. 12 where Tiir is back to being all JOIN US, except now Ryner is already at their base, so it’s not “I’ll take you back with us” now, as it is “I’ll kill that human so you can be happy here with us.” (Way to not sound like a yandere there, Tiir.) However, as Ryner notes, Tiir has already changed by this point, even if he doesn’t necessarily realize it himself. After all, he did essentially kidnap Vois as a “pretext for negotiations” (despite, you know, claiming just a while ago that he doesn’t negotiate with humans). As Ryner points out, that kind of thing—to even think about diplomacy with humans—would have been unthinkable for Tiir before. Now, he acknowledges (in however an abrasive and hostile manner) that they “need them” (that is, the people of Sphelliyet), due to the inevitable threat of Roland and Gastark. Though Tiir never says outright that he needs their help and may not think of it that way, given his resistance to the idea later on, that’s what it boils down to, in the end. Tiir is desperate—even to the point where he would seek help from humans against other humans.
Also, despite Lieral being all “Oh, they might be torturing Vois”, the worst they did was peek into his dreams, and that was probably more traumatizing for the Ebra Crypt bearer than Vois…
Either way, in the words of Ryner, Tiir has already accepted humans, even if he can’t admit it. Because he’s been fighting a hopeless battle for a little too long and, as noted, things need to change—but he realizes that at this point, he can’t change anything on his own. He doesn’t have that power. And so, he’s forced to turn to the people he considers enemies.
And then Ryner does his speech, as said, which is just as Ene planned (my translations are a little iffy here, but I think she purposely left out that part to Tiir so that he would be caught off-guard, because this is all for your own good, Tiir!).
Then Lucile comes and everything is ruined. Again.
But Lieral revives her and all is good again, except for the part where she loses all her memories and becomes a normal human, but by that point, Tiir is relieved enough to have her back that he doesn’t actually seem to care about any of that. He then presumably becomes the leader of the God’s Eyes bearers in her place, potentially becomes the fourth king of Sphelliyet if he decided to take up Ryner on that offer, etc.
By now, Tiir intends to accept humans—and given the nature of Ene’s existence now, it’s not the sort of intention that he can turn back on (versus his acceptance of the more pragmatic nature, which reverted once Lucile killed Ene and Tiir decided that he’d rather have humans dead). With Ene being a human and without her memories of the time she spent with him and the suffering she went through as a Cursed Eye bearer, Tiir is forced to rethink the differences (or lack thereof, ultimately) between humans and Cursed Eye bearers. Of course, if he really wanted to, he could make her an exception, as he did with Ferris, but there’s a difference between accepting that Ferris is not going to stab them in the back and having a human as his most important person. There’s just too much of a disconnect between the latter and still trying to hate humans. And for all his hatred, it’s likely that Tiir does desire coexistence—he just never believed that it was possible, until now.
Furthermore, Tiir expresses gratitude (however belated) towards Lieral, despite his very blatant irritation with the man from the start. All things considered, in spite of Tiir’s bitterness, he can be rather un-petty, for a lack of a better word. He never liked Lieral, but that doesn’t change the fact that Tiir is in his debt and he knows it. And on a non-development note, in spite of how devastated he was at Ene’s death, he was entirely understanding of Ryner protesting his survival and felt guilty over it as well, as it would mean that he would lose his father. Again, despite the fact that he doesn’t even like Lieral and isn’t the type to feel any sympathy towards those he doesn’t care for and really, he and Ryner are hardly the closest of people, he didn’t necessarily value his own happiness above Ryner’s, which is fairly impressive considering how unstable Tiir was at that point.
In the end, it’s clear that Tiir still has his doubts, perhaps even about working with Sphelliyet, let alone Gastark. Again, he’s responsible for everyone’s lives, which only lends itself to his cautiousness and paranoia. Add that to a lifetime of hating humans and personally seeing the horrors they enact upon his people, and Tiir’s opinion of them is hardly about to change overnight. However, with the world in the chaotic state it is, now’s not the time to be fighting and killing one another. While that might not be at the forefront of Tiir’s mind as it is Ryner’s, he gets that in the end, and so accepts Ryner’s reasoning—that their inner conflicts, at the moment, are trivial compared to the fate of the world.
Really, he agreed to work with Gastark. Short of him declaring Lir his best friend, that’s about the best sign of acceptance you can get.
Anyhow, with all that, Tiir should be relatively more stable from here on out. He’s no longer consumed by bitterness and suspicion—while he hasn’t made it all the way yet, he’s taken the first step, which is always the hardest. More than just that, for that matter. Perhaps most importantly, this has finally given him hope—hope for a better world in which his friends don’t have to be persecuted. It’s the world that Tiir has always wished and fought for, but now, it’s finally more than just a dream. Even if not quite the way Tiir thought it would, as he wouldn’t have believed in existing alongside humans, it can actually happen. It’s a world that Ryner is capable of creating and has promised to give him. It won’t change the fact that Tiir will have to fight like hell to win it, but at last, he doesn’t have to fight for it alone.
—Which is ironic, because this is also the point where, in a sense, he loses his best friend. He loves Ene no less than he did before, but the fact of the matter is that he’s a stranger to her. At the very least, he can’t count on her for guidance. And in the short run, it’s not like Ryner’s with him, as he has his own things to do. While Tiir was never the confiding sort to begin with, he honestly has no one he can depend on for emotional support anymore. In that sense, he’s alone. Lafra, who realized that Tiir was just like any other Cursed Eye bearer and hurting as much of them, for all his confidence, is dead. Ene, who saw past Tiir’s denial, no longer remembers him. And Ryner, who’s now given him the faith to move on with his life, is busy with his own life. Tiir’s life has been turned upside down, considering how much has changed within the span of a day, and there isn’t anyone he can turn to.
Truth be told, Tiir isn’t likely to reflect on any of that, if it even occurs to him. It’s in his nature to be the strong one, after all—the one who doesn’t need support. And with his friends counting on him, he can’t be anything but that. However, if he were to actually think about it, he’d probably end up feeling a bit lonely, if not lost, despite the fact that his life had more direction than it ever did before. He’s believed in the same things his entire life, some of which were basically handed him to him by the voice in his head—humans are despicable and will always hate them, etc., etc. Now, he has to rethink everything on his own (though on the bright side, given Remurus’s barrier, Tiir likely doesn’t have said voice to distract him).
Okay stopping here for now.
general.
‘I’m a monster, but I don’t want to hurt the people I love.’
‘I’m a monster, but I don’t want to hurt the people I love.’
But… who are the real monsters here?”
◦ Birthplace unknown, as also stated in the handbook. Presumably not from Roland, Estabul, Nelpha, Iyet, or Gastark, as the first four are only familiar with Alpha Stigma bearers and it's questionable if Gastark even produces Cursed Eye bearers, given their lineage.
◦ Age also unknown and gets very iffy depending on the information. Tiir states that the purpose of the Iino Doue is to kill Lieral, suggesting that he couldn't have been born before Lieral unless the Priests/Goddesses predicted that much (though that brings up the question of why they didn't do more to stop him when they had the chance). Lieral, however, states that he doesn't know which one of them is older—but then again, he doesn't seem to put much stock in the whole purpose behind the Iino Doue thing to begin with. Lieral was revealed to be a magic genius when he was still fairly young, though, putting a cap of about ~40 years old if you assume that he has to be younger than Lieral. He's also looked to be in his early/mid-twenties for about 10 years, as Claugh first met him when the latter was around fifteen. tl;dr \o_o/
◦ Past also unknown (damn it, Kagami, is any concrete information on Tiir too much to ask for—), making him one of the most enigmatic characters in the series in that regard. As with all Iino Doue bearers, he devoured his mother from within the womb at birth, but his father is never mentioned. The handbook does state that he has no family (versus stating “unknown”), however. He also met Ene some time over ten years ago, and ten years ago, encountered Claugh and wiped out his squad, but spared Claugh's life (albeit not without wrecking his arm). Given the time it takes to travel and the amount of God's Eyes bearers, with Ene indicating that Tiir was responsible for saving most, if not all of them, suggests that he's been gathering Cursed Eye bearers for several years. On the other hand, Gastark's dialogue could potentially suggest that this is a recent thing, but it also might just mean that they've only taken notice of his existence recently or that he's been openly defying them only as of late. On that note, he's also had at least one encounter with Gastark where thirty-eight children were killed before him and he had to run.
◦ Presumably knew Lafra (and likely Pueka, given that she and Lafra have already developed feelings for each other by the present) for a while, as they were searching for Cursed Eye bearers in the south, where only Alpha Stigma bearers are born. That is, Lafra came with him from their main base to help him search (Lafra also mentions knowing a couple of other Ebra Crypt bearers, so).
◦ As for the Cursed Eye bearers as a whole—again, he may have been gathering them for several years now. Either way, given that he's found thousands by Vol. 12, he's... saved a lot of children, to state the obvious. His dialogue implies that he's found them in a multitude of situations—whether he directly saved them from humans (e.g. he often mentions how parents try to sell/kill their own children) or found them in the aftermath, when the damage had already been done (e.g. mentioning how some children wouldn't even look up or speak to him when he found them).
◦ The purpose of the Iino Doue is to apparently kill Lieral, as they're his natural bane. Tiir seems rather bitter about the entire thing, given that it means he was basically born as a monster because of Lieral. That said, Tiir doesn't succeed in killing him either way, meaning that he can't achieve that purpose, and as Lieral ends up working with Ene, he's not even allowed to. Then, at the end of it all, Lieral dies, and so the given reason for Tiir's existence is, essentially, rendered null.
◦ Just became the fourth king of Sphelliyet as of Vol. 13, alongside Ryner, Vois, and Pia. Congrats, Tiir, this is going to test your patience in so many ways. Though he can get along fine with Ryner when they're not arguing, Vois is someone you just get kind of... accustomed to, and I can see him and Pia hitting it off in a bit of a snarky way, actually, now that they won't be trying to kill each other.
ene.
Ene, Ene, Ene.
Otherwise known as Tiir’s leader/best friend/sister figure/sort of platonic life partner/some combination of the above. It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact nature of their relationship, but more simply put, she’s his most important person, as confirmed in Vol. 13, though it could’ve easily been inferred from before, despite them only ever having one actual on-screen interaction together.
Aside from the fact that normal friends probably don’t caress the other’s face/grasp the other’s hand like that, Tiir’s willingness to be somewhat more open around her, tendency to carry her orders out unflinchingly even if he doesn’t necessarily agree with them, and insistence that they all need her as a leader makes it clear that he’s emotionally dependent on her on some level—and likewise, her telling Ryner that he was the one who saved her and that it’s because of him that she’s lived this long indicates that she sees Tiir as having been vital to her existence in some way.
(This would also suggest that, aside from him basically being her right-hand man and the second-in-command, they essentially formed the God’s Eyes group together, as she was the first “child” that he saved.)
Either way, it’s obvious that they mean a lot to each other, in spite of the reader knowing virtually nothing about their history together aside from that Tiir saved her at some point (with his dialogue suggesting that he knows personally what she went through at the hands of humans) 10+ years ago, before she went blind, and that they’ve presumably been together ever since.
Otherwise known as Tiir’s leader/best friend/sister figure/sort of platonic life partner/some combination of the above. It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact nature of their relationship, but more simply put, she’s his most important person, as confirmed in Vol. 13, though it could’ve easily been inferred from before, despite them only ever having one actual on-screen interaction together.
Aside from the fact that normal friends probably don’t caress the other’s face/grasp the other’s hand like that, Tiir’s willingness to be somewhat more open around her, tendency to carry her orders out unflinchingly even if he doesn’t necessarily agree with them, and insistence that they all need her as a leader makes it clear that he’s emotionally dependent on her on some level—and likewise, her telling Ryner that he was the one who saved her and that it’s because of him that she’s lived this long indicates that she sees Tiir as having been vital to her existence in some way.
(This would also suggest that, aside from him basically being her right-hand man and the second-in-command, they essentially formed the God’s Eyes group together, as she was the first “child” that he saved.)
Either way, it’s obvious that they mean a lot to each other, in spite of the reader knowing virtually nothing about their history together aside from that Tiir saved her at some point (with his dialogue suggesting that he knows personally what she went through at the hands of humans) 10+ years ago, before she went blind, and that they’ve presumably been together ever since.
In a lot of ways, Tiir and Ene are an example of opposites attracting. Even on a physical level—Ene is physically one of the weakest characters in canon, whereas Tiir is one of the strongest. She doesn’t age because her body no longer grows; Tiir doesn’t age because his body no longer deteriorates. All things considered, it was a doomed relationship, seeing as how Tiir seems to be one of those types who finds a way to survive just about anything, whereas it was evident from the start that Ene was likely slated to die.
Personality-wise, they’re also completely different, aside from perhaps smiling when they shouldn’t (but that’s a trait that most of the cast is guilty of at some point or another). Ene is peaceful and even-tempered where Tiir is passionate and emotional. Ene realizes that Ryner gains strength from his human friends and is fine where he is; Tiir is convinced that they’ll only hurt him sooner or later. Similarly, Ene still believes in humans, while Tiir definitely does not. Also, if you were to ask Tiir, Ene is charismatic whereas he isn’t, but Tiir also suffers from horrible self-esteem, so his judgment there isn’t, uh, necessarily valid—though his belief on that further highlights his dependence on Ene, as he can’t imagine not having her as a leader, despite the fact that she’s, for all intents and purposes, dying (yet one of many, many things Tiir is in denial about).
Despite their differences and conflicting beliefs, though, they seem to get along just fine—connected by a mutual suffering, the desire to protect their friends, and the wish to change the world. And, well, the fact that Tiir is apparently her saviour (and her his, likely, on an emotional level) and what with them knowing each other for ten years, which is a long time to know anyone, regardless of however old they may be. Their first interaction seen together essentially lays down most of what needs to be known about their relationship, which is good because, again, it’s pretty much the only time we ever get to see them together.
Points of interest in their conversation:
◦ Ene stating that the God’s Eyes bearers will be just fine with Tiir for leader, even if she’s no longer around.
◦ Her stating that Ryner will form a connection between them and humans and help Tiir heal.
◦ Tiir commenting on the worthlessness of their lives.
◦ Ene mentioning making Ryner the king of the God’s Eyes bearers.
◦ To a lesser extent (regarding their relationship, at least), Ene talking about defying the gods.
These all become significant in Vol. 13 (particularly if you believe that Ene did see everything coming), even if not necessarily obviously so.
Firstly, there’s Vol. 12, where they declare Ryner to be the king of God’s Eyes bearers, as the one who’ll save them from their despair, with Ene even arranging it so that Ryner gives them the speech that he does, in hopes of convincing them to open up to humans. Though it does have an effect on Tiir, immediately after, Ene dies—and not by her powers, but rather, by being killed by the hands of a human. Tiir takes this about as well as one would imagine (that is, not well at all). Again, he and Ryner have that argument—that Lafra, Pueka, and Ene never hated humans, and so Tiir should think about that. On the reverse side, as Tiir points out, every one of them died miserable deaths for it—that the humans they had faith in in simply killed them in the end.
If he shouldn’t hate humans but trying to believe in them will only result in your death, then what exactly is he supposed to do? Or is there nothing he—any of them—can do? That the only reason they exist is to be killed in cold blood, cursing that they were born with these eyes? Again, Tiir had severe self-worth issues, as first made clear in his scene with Ene. Ene, who told him that she would prove that they were born for a reason—but in the end, she died before ever showing him that “proof”.
Then, she’s revived, but without her powers and without any memory of him. As Lieral points out and Ryner reaffirms, she’s a normal human. That is, she’s what Tiir despises above all else.
And though Tiir is a hypocrite about many things, he proves himself to not be one in this. He’s expressed many times his distaste towards the humans who claim to love one another and turn their back the moment the other person becomes a ‘monster’. And so, when Ene returns as an ordinary human—the ‘monster’ for him—he responds in the way he believed all those humans should’ve: by loving her all the same.
Frankly, that moment probably demonstrates more clearly than anything else just how much Tiir cares for Ene (and all his friends, really). It’s when Tiir is at his weakest and most vulnerable. There are none of the walls that Ryner noted back in Vol. 8, and no hatred or anger driving him forward, like there was when Lir killed his friends. Nor is he trying to be strong for anyone here. Everything right there is all of who he is—his sheer relief and joy at seeing Ene alive again, even if she’s human and even if she has no idea who he is anymore. While Lieral and Ryner do both point out that he’ll have to choose between his hatred towards humans and his love for her, that never really seems to be an issue to begin with. When Ene is revived, Tiir doesn’t hesitate at all to embrace her, despite the fact that she’s very obviously different now. What’s important to him is that she’s back—not the side effects of her revival. Honestly, Tiir likely didn’t need Lieral and Ryner to drive the point home at all, given how utterly relieved he was.
Moving on, though Ene is alive, Tiir presumably becomes the leader in her place, as she’s more than just a normal human now—she’s an entirely normal person as a whole. Without her Torch Curse, she can’t see the future and guide them, and without her memories, she likely has no desire to. And so, despite the fact that Tiir never really wanted to be leader, he doesn’t have much of a choice but to step up to the position. Not only that, but with Ryner’s offer, he’s become one of the leaders of an entire country.
And the fact that Tiir even accepted it shows just how far he’s come, considering that not only is he agreeing to work with humans, he’s agreeing to potentially work with Gastark, his worst enemies. Though Tiir may not have forgiven them just yet, as seen by the fact that he’s initially hostile towards the idea, it’s still an incredible leap of faith to take. Even deciding to work alongside Sphelliyet was obviously a difficult decision for him to make in Vol. 12, considering the thousands of lives that are all resting on him, meaning that if he makes a mistake, they could all die because of him—which he’s all too aware of. He’s not just in charge of his life, but those of all of his friends and the children. Again, it’s a massive risk that he’s taking and a lot that Ryner’s asking from him.
At the end of it all, though, Tiir realizes that the world is changing and that he needs to move with it, and that things need to change. And to be able to make that kind of decision, especially right after Ene’s death and revival and all of the aftereffects, probably shows that despite Tiir’s initial doubts, he has the strength to be a leader. If he can decide something like that after watching his best friend die, possibly becoming the most unstable he’s been yet, feeling guilty over Ryner having to lose his father, dealing with the fact that the person he’s been with for 10+ years no longer remembers him and likely never will, and rethinking everything he’s believed in his entire life, it’s probably safe to say that Tiir will be fine. And as the one who knew him better than anyone else, Ene must have realized that.
Either way, thanks to Ryner persuading him to work together with humans, Tiir is definitely on the path to recovery at this point, what with learning to let go of his hatred—just as Ene always wanted. While it’s unclear just how much Ene saw, it’s possible that she did know that all of this was going to happen. Her line about asking Ryner to tell Tiir not to cry over his death might indicate that she didn’t, though it could also indicate that she simply didn’t see all of the fragments in between but was still aware of the ultimate outcome. If you do choose to go with the idea that she foresaw all of this, however, her death and revival was, in a way, her last gift to Tiir. While Ene does have the principle of not interfering with what she sees, lest she inadvertently create a worse future, Ryner’s thoughts suggest that part of the reason this time might’ve been to force Tiir to change. That is, to finally free him from his bitterness and have him change for the better, as she clearly wished for him in her first scene.
And then, to wrap everything up, this is the volume that fully starts down the path of defying the gods. In short, everything within the first two chapters of Vol. 13 basically goes back to Ene’s first scene, together with Tiir. While she may have never been able to give him a clear answer as to why they were born, it’s likely evident to Tiir by now what he should do to change things—and with that, he can decide for himself why someone like him exists. Though the Ene who fought to change the world and wished for their salvation is no longer there—though he’ll never be able to rely on her again—she gave him that strength to move on with his life.
Again, it’s her parting gift to him, as thanks for having protected her all this time.
ryner.
Aka the king of Cursed Eye bearers, as the God’s Eyes bearers have proclaimed him, though he would probably argue that Tiir is just as deserving of that title, if not more.
For the most part, they have a tense friendship, if you can even call it that, as Vol. 12 is really the first ‘friendship’ moment they have, and Vol. 13 shows that their relationship still hasn’t changed much—though with Tiir’s development, that may change in the future. Ultimately, their personalities and beliefs tend to clash, resulting in a situation where Tiir sees Ryner as a friend by default and realizes that he’s someone important to the world and Ryner sees Tiir as a useful source of information and someone to help if need be—but that’s when they’re not at odds with one another. Tiir certainly thinks of himself as Ryner’s ally, but when you get down to it, they’re in conflict with each other more often than not due to Tiir’s differing (and ultimately misguided) idea of what’s best for Ryner.
That said, Tiir is essentially Ryner’s counterpart—his villainous counterpart, if you will (though morality is too grey in this series to really call anyone that, least of all Tiir, who especially likes to walk between the lines). For all intents and purposes, he’s the Ryner who chose a different path from the start but with similar results, given a few replacements, and so his development likely mimics Ryner’s own more closely than anyone else’s. Aside from being the other primary adult Cursed Eye bearer, he is, in some ways, very similar to Ryner, for all their differences. This is something that Ryner himself notes, given that he acknowledges a few times that it’s probably hypocritical of him to spout about having faith and whatnot, when he himself was no different before meeting Sion and the others. Still, there isn’t really anyone else to do it, so even if Ryner is (knowingly) not the most eloquent person around, it’s up to him to be the Sion here for Tiir.
That said, Tiir is essentially Ryner’s counterpart—his villainous counterpart, if you will (though morality is too grey in this series to really call anyone that, least of all Tiir, who especially likes to walk between the lines). For all intents and purposes, he’s the Ryner who chose a different path from the start but with similar results, given a few replacements, and so his development likely mimics Ryner’s own more closely than anyone else’s. Aside from being the other primary adult Cursed Eye bearer, he is, in some ways, very similar to Ryner, for all their differences. This is something that Ryner himself notes, given that he acknowledges a few times that it’s probably hypocritical of him to spout about having faith and whatnot, when he himself was no different before meeting Sion and the others. Still, there isn’t really anyone else to do it, so even if Ryner is (knowingly) not the most eloquent person around, it’s up to him to be the Sion here for Tiir.
In fact, this is a parallel that Ryner himself basically invokes, though some of the echoes here aren’t even his own doing. Just as Sion holds out his hand to Ryner at the beginning of the series, telling him to become his ally, Tiir later holds out his hand to Ryner, promising him that things will change. Either way, Ryner doesn’t accept, too broken to believe in change any longer. Where Tiir gave up on humans and chose to resent them, Ryner gave up on the world and chose to stop fighting for anything (though Tiir’s dialogue in Vol. 13 suggests that, deep down, Tiir likewise fears that it’s impossible for him to change anything and that a part of him is tired of trying). In a sense, they’re both weak and strong. Ryner is weak because he gave up the will to fight but also strong because he never gave in to resentment; Tiir is strong because he never stopped fighting but also weak because he couldn’t bring himself to forgive.
In any case, when Ryner and Tiir first meet, Ryner is the brooding, worn-down of the two, while Tiir, aside from being a very bitter psychopath, doesn’t seem particularly hurt the way Ryner is and in fact tries to bring him out of his shell. Come their second meeting, and their positions are reversed: Tiir is the one with walls around him and Ryner is the one trying to bring them down. The thing here is that Ryner changed while Tiir remained static—that is, by this point, Ryner has accepted that he’s not a monster and doesn’t have to be alone, whereas Tiir is still struggling with his hatred and insecurities. It’s here that Ryner offers his hand to Tiir, asking him to be friends and claiming that he’ll be accepted amongst Ryner’s friends, much like the way Tiir assured Ryner that he had friends among the Cursed Eye bearers. And just like back then, no change is made—Tiir doesn’t take Ryner’s hand. Ryner accepts that, at that moment, he can’t sway Tiir’s heart and is left to wonder what he can do.
His chance to try again comes four volumes later, though compared to the first time, where Ryner was surprisingly gentle, he’s much harsher about it now. Granted, this is also because Tiir is trying to kill Ferris now, whereas before, he was intending on simply bringing Ryner back with him/leaving. And so, he’s, well, pinning Tiir to the ground—and let’s face it, that doesn’t exactly inspire kind words. Furthermore, the situation—of the world as a whole—is very different from back then. Ryner was in no particular hurry at that time, while he is now. For that matter, Ryner’s recovery took over a year—time that Tiir simply does not have the luxury of. They have less than a year before Remurus’s barrier ends. In other words, less than a year to change the world, which is a very short period of time, when you think about all they have to achieve. If Tiir isn’t willing to change here and now, then there’s no guarantee that Ryner will ever get the chance again (not to mention that, either way, Pia told him to bring Tiir and the God’s Eyes bearers back with him along with Vois, which, as Ryner points out, is no easy task).
And thus, Ryner’s speech this time lacks the compassion it had before. Rather, he essentially tells Tiir to get over himself, accusing him of being a hypocritical coward. It’s blunt and insensitive and perhaps even cruel, but kind words won’t change Tiir now—at least not within the timespan Ryner needs him to, if he wants for Tiir to be his ally.
Fortunately, it works, for the most part. Tiir admits that he still can’t bring himself to honestly have faith in humans, but at the very least, he might be willing to believe in Ferris, having seen her try to protect Ryner. It might not seem like much, especially considering that it’s not as if he’ll be spending much time with her anyway, but for Tiir to acknowledge feeling anything other than hatred towards humans is a significant step for him.
—And, if nothing else, he believes in Ryner. Even if he can’t trust humans, he’ll trust his friend who believes in them. Considering Tiir’s somewhat dismissive attitude of Ryner’s views when they first met, that also shows how much Tiir has changed (and perhaps how desperate he’s getting to protect his friends).
On Ryner’s part, as irritated and frustrated as he may be with Tiir’s attitude, he doesn’t necessarily dislike him either (at least, not any more than he pretends to dislike the average person). Certainly, Ryner doesn’t approve of Tiir’s hatred and probably finds him rather overbearing at times, but he’s also the first to acknowledge that while Tiir may be cruel, there’s no one kinder to the Cursed Eye bearers than him. When Ene tells Ryner that he’s kind and that’s what makes him special, Ryner points out that Tiir is kind as well. When people call Ryner the king of Cursed Eye bearers, Ryner says that the true king—the one beloved by all the Cursed Eye bearers—is Tiir. While he may not exactly like Tiir, per se, and Tiir has a bad tendency to get in his way, he ultimately seems to view Tiir as, well, a person. A heavily flawed person, definitely, but he realizes why Tiir acts the way he does and acknowledges Tiir’s walls as a means of protecting himself from the prejudice of humans, which Ryner understands all too well.
It all reaches its peak in Vol. 13, where Tiir comes dangerously close to undoing all of the development he underwent in Vol. 12, with Ene’s death nearly pushing him over the edge. However, he manages to hold on, and again, when the worst is (temporarily) over, Ryner repeats what he did before. He holds out his hand to Tiir and asks him to become his ally (for that matter, he purposely uses the same line Sion used on him, despite having found it embarrassing when Sion said it).
This time, though, Tiir accepts. Or rather, it’s not clear if he explicitly takes Ryner’s hand, but he accepts Ryner’s offer—to become his ally, and, by association, to overcome his hatred towards humans.
And with that, they’ve finally become something akin to genuine friends. Took you long enough, guys.
development.
All in all, both form the backbone of Tiir’s change in canon, as the primary people who encourage him to like humans. It’s hardly as if anyone else is going to tell Tiir that, what with them seeing him as a leader of sorts, whereas he isn’t that to Ene and even if Ryner saw him as that, the day he cares about authority will be the day the world ends (actually, all things considered, not even that—).
Anyhow, Ene takes the passive role of, in a way, manipulating Ryner and events, whereas Ryner takes the more direct /PINS TIIR TO THE GROUND AND RANTS AT HIM approach, with both working to different effects. The first sign that Tiir shows of being willing to open up is in Vol. 8—that is, his second meeting with Ryner. The indications are subtle, though, in that they mainly consist of Tiir breaking down somewhat in a way that he hasn’t before—showing how, for all his talk about the issue, it’s touchier for him than it seems—and the fact that Tiir actually relents. Specifically, although he claims that he’ll bring Ryner back, even by force, he ends up leaving without him of his own will. While only for now, given that he later tries to get Ryner to join them again, he accepts that Ryner refuses to come with them and so leaves with the others, as the Anti-Roland Coalition is waking up and they have to get out of there before they’re surrounded. Though he’s probably still denying it to himself at that point like everything in life, that implies that a part of him realizes that maybe Ryner is already where he belongs—or at the very least, in a place where he won’t be hurt.
And then along comes Vol. 12 where Tiir is back to being all JOIN US, except now Ryner is already at their base, so it’s not “I’ll take you back with us” now, as it is “I’ll kill that human so you can be happy here with us.” (Way to not sound like a yandere there, Tiir.) However, as Ryner notes, Tiir has already changed by this point, even if he doesn’t necessarily realize it himself. After all, he did essentially kidnap Vois as a “pretext for negotiations” (despite, you know, claiming just a while ago that he doesn’t negotiate with humans). As Ryner points out, that kind of thing—to even think about diplomacy with humans—would have been unthinkable for Tiir before. Now, he acknowledges (in however an abrasive and hostile manner) that they “need them” (that is, the people of Sphelliyet), due to the inevitable threat of Roland and Gastark. Though Tiir never says outright that he needs their help and may not think of it that way, given his resistance to the idea later on, that’s what it boils down to, in the end. Tiir is desperate—even to the point where he would seek help from humans against other humans.
Also, despite Lieral being all “Oh, they might be torturing Vois”, the worst they did was peek into his dreams, and that was probably more traumatizing for the Ebra Crypt bearer than Vois…
Either way, in the words of Ryner, Tiir has already accepted humans, even if he can’t admit it. Because he’s been fighting a hopeless battle for a little too long and, as noted, things need to change—but he realizes that at this point, he can’t change anything on his own. He doesn’t have that power. And so, he’s forced to turn to the people he considers enemies.
And then Ryner does his speech, as said, which is just as Ene planned (my translations are a little iffy here, but I think she purposely left out that part to Tiir so that he would be caught off-guard, because this is all for your own good, Tiir!).
Then Lucile comes and everything is ruined. Again.
But Lieral revives her and all is good again, except for the part where she loses all her memories and becomes a normal human, but by that point, Tiir is relieved enough to have her back that he doesn’t actually seem to care about any of that. He then presumably becomes the leader of the God’s Eyes bearers in her place, potentially becomes the fourth king of Sphelliyet if he decided to take up Ryner on that offer, etc.
By now, Tiir intends to accept humans—and given the nature of Ene’s existence now, it’s not the sort of intention that he can turn back on (versus his acceptance of the more pragmatic nature, which reverted once Lucile killed Ene and Tiir decided that he’d rather have humans dead). With Ene being a human and without her memories of the time she spent with him and the suffering she went through as a Cursed Eye bearer, Tiir is forced to rethink the differences (or lack thereof, ultimately) between humans and Cursed Eye bearers. Of course, if he really wanted to, he could make her an exception, as he did with Ferris, but there’s a difference between accepting that Ferris is not going to stab them in the back and having a human as his most important person. There’s just too much of a disconnect between the latter and still trying to hate humans. And for all his hatred, it’s likely that Tiir does desire coexistence—he just never believed that it was possible, until now.
Furthermore, Tiir expresses gratitude (however belated) towards Lieral, despite his very blatant irritation with the man from the start. All things considered, in spite of Tiir’s bitterness, he can be rather un-petty, for a lack of a better word. He never liked Lieral, but that doesn’t change the fact that Tiir is in his debt and he knows it. And on a non-development note, in spite of how devastated he was at Ene’s death, he was entirely understanding of Ryner protesting his survival and felt guilty over it as well, as it would mean that he would lose his father. Again, despite the fact that he doesn’t even like Lieral and isn’t the type to feel any sympathy towards those he doesn’t care for and really, he and Ryner are hardly the closest of people, he didn’t necessarily value his own happiness above Ryner’s, which is fairly impressive considering how unstable Tiir was at that point.
In the end, it’s clear that Tiir still has his doubts, perhaps even about working with Sphelliyet, let alone Gastark. Again, he’s responsible for everyone’s lives, which only lends itself to his cautiousness and paranoia. Add that to a lifetime of hating humans and personally seeing the horrors they enact upon his people, and Tiir’s opinion of them is hardly about to change overnight. However, with the world in the chaotic state it is, now’s not the time to be fighting and killing one another. While that might not be at the forefront of Tiir’s mind as it is Ryner’s, he gets that in the end, and so accepts Ryner’s reasoning—that their inner conflicts, at the moment, are trivial compared to the fate of the world.
Really, he agreed to work with Gastark. Short of him declaring Lir his best friend, that’s about the best sign of acceptance you can get.
Anyhow, with all that, Tiir should be relatively more stable from here on out. He’s no longer consumed by bitterness and suspicion—while he hasn’t made it all the way yet, he’s taken the first step, which is always the hardest. More than just that, for that matter. Perhaps most importantly, this has finally given him hope—hope for a better world in which his friends don’t have to be persecuted. It’s the world that Tiir has always wished and fought for, but now, it’s finally more than just a dream. Even if not quite the way Tiir thought it would, as he wouldn’t have believed in existing alongside humans, it can actually happen. It’s a world that Ryner is capable of creating and has promised to give him. It won’t change the fact that Tiir will have to fight like hell to win it, but at last, he doesn’t have to fight for it alone.
—Which is ironic, because this is also the point where, in a sense, he loses his best friend. He loves Ene no less than he did before, but the fact of the matter is that he’s a stranger to her. At the very least, he can’t count on her for guidance. And in the short run, it’s not like Ryner’s with him, as he has his own things to do. While Tiir was never the confiding sort to begin with, he honestly has no one he can depend on for emotional support anymore. In that sense, he’s alone. Lafra, who realized that Tiir was just like any other Cursed Eye bearer and hurting as much of them, for all his confidence, is dead. Ene, who saw past Tiir’s denial, no longer remembers him. And Ryner, who’s now given him the faith to move on with his life, is busy with his own life. Tiir’s life has been turned upside down, considering how much has changed within the span of a day, and there isn’t anyone he can turn to.
Truth be told, Tiir isn’t likely to reflect on any of that, if it even occurs to him. It’s in his nature to be the strong one, after all—the one who doesn’t need support. And with his friends counting on him, he can’t be anything but that. However, if he were to actually think about it, he’d probably end up feeling a bit lonely, if not lost, despite the fact that his life had more direction than it ever did before. He’s believed in the same things his entire life, some of which were basically handed him to him by the voice in his head—humans are despicable and will always hate them, etc., etc. Now, he has to rethink everything on his own (though on the bright side, given Remurus’s barrier, Tiir likely doesn’t have said voice to distract him).
Okay stopping here for now.