[ Walk tall. Right. He can't do that if he keeps living in the past, can he? It isn't easy to put one foot in front of the other. It wasn't easy that day he'd done it in Niflheim, when he and Aranea had taken down his father's final creation. He'd made a choice, then, of who he wanted to be, and what path he would take in this life. He thought that maybe meant leaving his past behind, abandoning it, but...he can't do that either.

Truly moving forward means accepting it, embracing it, and acknowledging how it shaped him, too. For all he's ever regretted in his life, for all the loneliness he's suffered, he wouldn't be who he is today without those hardships, and...

He's actually kind of proud of where he's ended up.

He smiles softly, nodding to Gladio with a little sound of affirmation. ]

You're right. I owe it to them, to all of them, to make sure my life means something. I won't hang my head when I've got so much to live for.

[ And then, his grin slanting: ]

Heh...y'know, I think I needed that pep talk more than I realized.